The Charlotte Jewish News - December 2023 - Page 16
Greenspon Center Helps Bring Light Over Darkness By Mary Eshet In the darkest days of winter, the menorah brings light — at Chanukah and beyond. Kinga Zay, a teacher of German at Providence Day School, graduated with the first cohort of the The Stan Greenspon Holocaust and Social Justice Education Center’s Certification in Holocaust Pedagogy program. “The course really awakened my interest in making a difference by getting more active in teaching the Holocaust right and honoring people we have lost. To honor my Jewish friends and their heritage is an awesome opportunity, an honor.” Inspired by the certification class, earlier this year Zay organized a program to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, the date marking the liberation of prisoners from the Auschwitz concentration camp. Realizing students needed a basic foundation in understanding the Holocaust, she created a somber walk through history. Inspired by material from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, she created tiles that documented facts and a timeline of events along with photos from the Holocaust. These tiles were placed on
the floor and votive candles were arranged around the materials to create a path. “It reminded me of a walk through a cemetery,” said Zay. “The tiles were like tombstones.” The walk concluded on a note of hope, featuring symbols from Jewish traditions and life. “We learned in the program that students need a safe in and out. I wanted to acknowledge and educate about what happened, the atrocities and the pain, but also highlight Jewish traditions and heritage, and show the vibrancy and resilience of Jewish life,” she said. “I wanted them to leave with that.” Zay is now focused on plans for a 2024 event. She has decided to move the date to February 12–13 to avoid conflict with other events scheduled for International Holocaust Remembrance Day. She hopes to draw more participation from the Jewish community. “The way we are telling the story needs to change,” she reflected. “I want to focus more on Jewish voices and hope, resistance, and resilience.” To achieve this, she intends to feature as many of the community’s chanukiot as possible. She shared, “The image of the
chanukiah and its profound significance for Jews across history, including during the Holocaust, is deeply ingrained in my consciousness.” Her goal is to encourage members of the Jewish community to bring in their chanukiot accompanied by their personal stories. These stories may encompass memories associated with the chanukiah, the passing down of the chanukiah through generations within their families, and their own unique Chanukah traditions. The exhibit will include background on the Holocaust and may feature a few key individuals who worked in the resistance. “The chanukiot and their lights will serve as a beacon of hope,” Chanukah at Queens includes a beautiful mural, music, food, and celebration; said Zay. and is inclusive of other faiths and traditions in the spirit of a unified Queens If you’re interested in lending community. a menorah and story for the program, contact Zay at kinga.zay@ clubs and organizations from the supply of oil in the original Chaprovidenceday.org. Queens community created the nukah story lasted for eight days. Chava Rosenberg, a Queens flames for the chanukiah. The vision for this year is still University junior and president The wall turned out to be an in progress. Rosenberg says they of Queens Hillel, is planning example of resilience as well — a want to weave diversity and inanother event to bring light into major storm swept through Char- terfaith relations into the theme darkness: Chanukah at Queens. lotte and washed away much of again, and show light over darkLast year, Hillel worked with the beautiful piece. Not to be ness even as college campuses artist-in-residence Mike Wirth to dissuaded, Wirth grabbed some and the world face tremendous create a mural wall near the clock spray paint from the trunk of his issues. “Each person can bring tower on campus, and wove a car and recreated a mural — one their own identity and what they theme of diversity and unity that lasted all eight days despite (Continued on page 17 ) into the design. Multicultural the storm, much as the one-day
