WESTFIELD — The Westfield Memorial Library will host an afternoon and evening of programming on Monday, May 6, organized by Westfield High School, in recognition of Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah). All members of the community are invited to come to the library to explore the shared history of those touched by the Holocaust through exhibits, speakers and song and commit to the messages of “never forget” and “never again.” Exhibits and presentations will run from 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. and will include the following: 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.: Selfguided viewing of a timeline from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and of the reflections of students from Edison and Roosevelt Intermediate Schools upon completion of a humanities-style unit on the Holocaust. A display of specially-created artwork by student artist Sophia Basaldua also will be featured.
5:45 p.m.: Kim Leegan, the Social Studies teacher at Westfield High School who applied for the grant supporting this event, will offer remarks. Ms. Leegan is instrumental in multiple Jewish cultural, diversity and anti-hate initiatives at Westfield High School and teaches the school’s new Holocaust and Genocide Studies class.
6 p.m.: Elyse Wolff, the granddaughter of two Holocaust survivors and an appointed commissioner to the New Jersey State Commission on Holocaust Education, will give a presentation.
6:30 p.m.: Jessica Wang, a founding member of 3GNJ, a non-profit organization that creates an outlet for Holocaust remembrance and education throughout New Jersey, will be the presenter. 7 p.m.: A student presentation by the Jewish Cultural and Development Club at Westfield High School will address “Challenges and Resilience: How Art and Agency Allowed Survivors to Heal, Raise Awareness and Rebuild Community,” followed by information about ways to continue efforts to combat hate in all of its forms. 7:30 p.m.: Community candle-lighting ceremony and choral performance from the Westfield High School Treble Chorus, which will sing “Even When He is Silent” with music by Kim Andre Arnesen under the direction of John Brzozowski.
The Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs awarded a 2023 Special Project Grant that supported this event. The Kean University Holocaust Resource Center selected Westfield High School as a participating school. Additionally, the Westfield High School PTSO has supported this program through a mini-grant. The Westfield Memorial Library is located at 550 East Broad Street.
