Monday last week marked the opening of the exhibition entitled “From Memory to History, Faces and Voices of the Holocaust”, which will remain at the Gaelen Gallery in Whippany, West 901 Route 10, until April 30.
This is the 10th year’s anniversary of this important exhibition organized by the NJ Holocaust Council of Metrowest. The exhibition brings individual faces and private stories of local NJ survivors of the Holocaust. Using personal artifacts and photographs, the stories of local survivors are included in the tapestry of documented testimonies, transforming personal biographies into history.
This year’s exhibit commemorates also the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. This is an important inclusion that makes a strong statement about the need for community, society and country to respond and to commemorate current and past atrocities everywhere they occur, in order to prevent future genocides.
The Armenian Genocide was the first one in the 20th century, a century that witnessed multiple large-scale catastrophes. Referring to the half-hearted reaction of the world’s great powers to the plight of the Armenians, Hitler was quoted as having told his generals: “Who still talks nowadays about the Armenians?”
(http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/genocide/armenian_genocide.htm)
Jacqueline Goforth of the Holocaust Counsil of Metrowest provided links to a PBS Documentary showing the oppression by The Young Turks of the Armenian citizens of the Ottoman Empire during WW, which includes a PBS panel discussion:
https://vid.me/O7L/armenian-genocide-pbs-documentary
Commemorating and educating about the dangers of prejudice, hatred and indifference are the goals of the Holocaust Council of Metowest and its partners. The exhibition “From Memory to History” is an integral part of making history personal and real to new generations, so that lessons can be learned where ever they might be needed.
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