In remembrance of those who died during the Holocaust, some Ohio University students came together to keep the voices of those who died alive through marches, and a survivor shared her own personal testimony.
Alpha Epsilon Pi, OU’s Jewish fraternity, met at the bottom of Baker University Center on Thursday evening. About 20 people dressed in black, lined up in pairs, and walked in silence on Court Street, looped around Washington Street, through Alden Library and back to their starting point in Baker.
While marching, onlookers occasionally asked the marchers what the stickers, which read “Never Forget,” on their chests meant. However, no one answered or uttered a sound.
“I think the walk was effective,” said Jake Resnik, a senior studying audio post production and a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi. “When people talked to me, my mind was in the zone.”
The Holocaust was the mass genocide of those of the Jewish faith as well as homosexuals, gypsies and people with disabilities. About 6 million Jews were executed as well as 1.5 million children during the Holocaust, according to a flyer for the march.
Matt Newman, a senior studying political science and a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi, participated in the walk for personal reasons.
“My grandfather was a Holocaust survivor,” Newman said. “He was the only one in his family that survived. I was doing the walk because of him. I was thinking of him.”
After the march, students had the opportunity to attend another event to listen to a personal testimony of survival. Fay Malkin spoke to a full Baker Ballroom around 7 p.m. Students even sat on the floor because all seats were taken.
Malkin said that she was 4 years old when she was “born” into the Holocaust in 1938. She and her family lived in the Sokal ghetto in Ukraine. Her family hid in a barn loft owned by a Polish-Catholic woman.
“I had to either be silent or whisper,” she said. “Anything could give you away. Neighbors were nearby. I cannot remember much. Not many children survived the Holocaust.”
Other families hiding in the loft feared Malkin’s frightened cries would give away their safety and location to those who had the potential to hand them over. They attempted to kill Malkin by poisoning her.
“I don’t remember that much,” she said. “I just remember them sticking pills into my mouth and making me swallow them.”
However, Malkin survived.
After finishing her testimony, Malkin said that she hopes many of OU’s students will continue to treat others with respect and to remember those who perished during the genocide.
“There was an important desire for survival,” she said. “There were other children that didn’t make it. Belief was the only way to survive.”
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