Slippery Rock University will host its annual Holocaust Remembrance Program with a presentation by guest speakers Art Gelbart and Debby Chudakoff , 3:30-5:15 p.m., March 26, at the Miller Theater in the Performing Arts Center. Gelbart and Chudakoff, first- and second-generation survivors of the Holocaust, will present the Richard T. Martin Presentation on the Holocaust, titled “Witnesses to the Holocaust: Survivor Art Gelbart & Second-Generation Survivor Debby Chudakoff.” The event is free and open to the public.
Prior to the presentation, faculty and students from SRU’s Music Department will perform two brief musical pieces. Following the presentation, Gelbart and Chudakoff will lead a short Q&A session.
“It’s important for people to hear from individuals who have been mistreated and to understand their experiences as minorities,” said Eric Tuten, an SRU assistant professor of history, and coordinator of the Holocaust Remembrance Program. “Especially since firsthand and secondhand accounts of the Holocaust are becoming rare, we may not have the opportunity to hear these perspectives much longer.”
Gelbart, who endured brutal conditions, labor and loss during World War II, including time in Auschwitz and a death march, emigrated to the U.S. after the war and rebuilt his life with his wife, Rose, who is also a Holocaust survivor. He now dedicates himself to sharing his story to ensure the lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten.
Chudakoff, daughter of Holocaust survivor Edith Perl, who endured the horrors of the Holocaust before being liberated in 1945, has dedicated her life to sharing her mother’s story with schools and communities to honor her legacy and educate future generations about the atrocities of Nazi Germany.
The Holocaust Remembrance Program is co-sponsored by the SRU’s College of Liberal Arts, Music Department and the History Department.
For more information, contact Eric Tuten at eric.tuten@sru.edu or 724.738.4913.
