News from SUNY Plattsburgh

For more information contact: Michelle Marasch Ouellette, 518-564-2090

Holocaust Survivor and Author to Speak at SUNY Plattsburgh

PLATTSBURGH, NY (04/14/2008; 1037)(readMedia)-- SUNY Plattsburgh will be marking Holocaust Remembrance Week with an appearance by Montreal author and Holocaust survivor Hermann Gruenwald on Tuesday, April 29, at 7:30 p.m. in Yokum Lecture Hall Room 202.

Gruenwald, author of "After Auschwitz: One Man's Story," will show a video of his recent trip to the Auschwitz death camp and share reflections about his wartime experiences. The event is open to the community. Gruenwald will also speak with classes at Plattsburgh High School on Wednesday, April 30.

Hermann Gruenwald's visit to Plattsburgh State is being sponsored by the Office of Academic Affairs, the Faculty of Arts and Science and Plattsburgh State Hillel.

"The campus has a tradition of commemorating the Holocaust," said SUNY Plattsburgh Provost Dr. Robert Golden. "Our mission as an educational institution compels us to teach our students about and remind the community of the horror of the Holocaust and of the continuing existence of genocide in the contemporary world."

Gruenwald’s presentation is part of a week of activities including:

• SUNY Plattsburgh’s 15th Annual Holocaust Commemoration service on Tuesday, April 29 at 12:30 p.m. in Feinberg Library’s Holocaust Memorial.

• The installation of "Kaddish in Wood," on Wednesday, April 30, at 4 p.m., also in Feinberg Library’s Holocaust Memorial. This event features a piece of artwork donated to SUNY Plattsburgh by Adirondack artist Dr. Herb Savel.

• A showing of "I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal," on Thursday, May 1, at 7 p.m. A faculty-led discussion will follow the film about survivor and Nazi-hunter Wiesenthal.

All of these events are free of charge and open to the public.

For more information about Holocaust Remembrance Week at SUNY Plattsburgh, contact Professor Jonathan Slater at (518) 564-2284.