Story by Lillian Chapman
Photos by Aubrey Salm
“One of the ways that you prevent big events, like the Holocaust, from happening is remembering them because the further it gets from memory the less effective it becomes,” said Caleb Franklin, an undergraduate who spoke at the Holocaust Studies Conference.
Undergraduates from Middle Tennessee State University presented at the conference as the opening event for the two-day educational program. The students stressed the importance of educating people about the Holocaust and honoring those who lost their lives.
Antisemitism is increasing in the U.S. as the horrific genocide of the Jews becomes less prominent in current times.
Continuing to educate the public about the Holocaust is necessary to prevent it from happening again. Justine Smith, an undergraduate at MTSU, discussed the significance of Holocaust museums and memorial sights. During her presentation, Justine emphasized that educating the public is not just about the history of what happened during the Holocaust, but also the memories of those who suffered and honoring them.
“Everything repeats itself. All these situations have happened before,” said Ken Gluck, the Education Coordinator and Speaker from Tennessee Holocaust Commission, “They will happen again if we don’t know how to handle them the right way when we see it starting.”
There are more than 50 Holocaust museums in the U.S dedicated to educating people on the gruesome events that took place. “We’re striving to keep it in memory and try and remember the victims as closely as possible but there’s definitely always more you can do,” said Franklin.
The Holocaust Studies Conference held at MTSU is one of many that strives to get the public involved to ensure the Holocaust is not forgotten. Students on campus provided their work in an art/photo gallery at the event to go along with the panels that took place at the conference.
“History repeats itself,” said Lillian Hickman, an undergraduate speaker at the conference.
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