Western New England University students got a lesson in one of the darkest chapters of human history, as Holocaust survivor Ruth Weiner spoke on campus Tuesday, February 19.
A native of Vienna, Weiner described witnessing the annexation of Austria by Germany's Third Reich and experiencing the horrors of rising Anti-Semitism firsthand. As a child, she lived through the burning of synagogues and the destruction of Jewish businesses during Kristallnacht, and would eventually escape Austria on the Kindertransport, arriving in England at the outbreak of World War II.
As a prelude to Weiner's talk, Western New England alumna Amanda Poris '16 recounted her recent trip to Poland, including visits to historic sites including Auschwitz, the largest Nazi concentration camp. Pianist Larry Picard and cellist John Hanifin lent their talents to the program, playing Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" and the "Theme from Schindler's List" by John Williams.
Weiner's appearance was sponsored by Western New England University's Office of Spiritual Life and The Holocaust Education Resource and Outreach Center.
