West Virginia University will recognize the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp with a public event and exhibit.
On Monday, WVU’s Pi Lambda Phi committee will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the largest German Nazi concentration and extermination camp with a live-stream of events by the Memorial and Museum at Auschwitz-Birkenau. This milestone will be livestreamed worldwide from the former camp grounds and feature world leaders and 200 Auschwitz survivors.
The livestream will begin at 9:30 a.m., when the commemorations begin, and continue streaming throughout the day. WVU and Morgantown community members are welcome to join the event at any time in the Shenandoah Room of the Mountainlair student union. WVU Beckley and Potomac State College will also have their own streaming locations. Please check their websites for specific details.
As part of WVU’s support for the commemoration, information packets were prepared for distribution to those who attend the streaming services or to teachers or community members wishing to learn more. In Morgantown, student and faculty volunteers also will be available for questions and for suggestions about further reading, viewing and learning opportunities.
“In this time of increased anti-Semitic attacks and hostility, as well as other hate crimes, it is critical that the WVU community takes time to commemorate the millions of lives lost in the Holocaust, as well as those remarkable few who survived and who continue to bear witness to the price of hate,” said Lisa Di Bartolomeo, teaching professor at WVU and Pi Lambda Phi committee chairperson. “We hope community members will join us for this important event.”
In addition to the livestreamed event, WVU’s Downtown Campus Library is showcasing a selection of books around Auschwitz and an exhibit on the sixth floor, “The Anguish of Liberation as Reflected in Art.” The exhibit features reproduced artworks from the Yad Vashem Art Museum created between 1945-1947 that investigate how survivors reacted to the liberation through art.
Those who are interested but unable to join can access the livestream on the Memorial and Museum at Auschwitz-Birkenau’s website.
