By Jason Koole
Western Herald
Holocaust survivor Irving Roth will be visiting Western Michigan University to give a talk about his experiences, on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m. in room 1720 of the Chemistry Building.
The event is sponsored by The Lee Honors College, the Academically Talented Youth Program, Portage Community High School, Henderson Castle, the Memorial Library and Art Collection of the Second World War, and Phi Kappa Phi.
Roth is the founder of the Adopt a Survivor Program, which is designed to get Holocaust survivors into classrooms in order to offer students a chance to hear their testimony. Roth speaks both nationally and internationally, and has been a guest on Oprah.
Roth will be discussing his experiences growing up in a Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia and Hungary, as well as his experiences in Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and on the death marches.
Katherine Ha, an English teacher in Portage, has met Roth and believes that students can learn from Roth’s experiences.
“The Holocaust is an event that shaped modern history, and it is important that we hear the voices of the survivors while we still can,” Ha said. “Hate crimes still occur throughout the world, including a recent rise in anti-Semitism, and the lessons we can learn from discussing Mr. Roth’s experiences are invaluable.”
Ha also said she believes in the power of his message.
“Students will learn about one person’s tale of survival against terrible odds, and perhaps begin to understand the power of one voice,” Ha said.
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