Students organize Holocaust awareness event

JEFFERSONVILLE- At a time of increasing antisemitism, hate, and intolerance throughout the United States, Vermont students are taking on the responsibility of sharing lessons of the Holocaust with their schools and communities.
To mark United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and the conclusion of the first Vermont Holocaust Education Week, Mount Abraham High School 11th graders Eliza and Emma Doucet have scheduled their second annual Holocaust commemoration event for Friday, January 27, in their hometown of Bristol.
The Doucet sisters are inviting local families, educators, and others to Bristol’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemoration, which will take place Friday, January 27, from 6 to 8 pm  in Holley Hall, 1 South Street, Bristol. All are welcome. Child care will be provided.
The United Nations General Assembly has designated January 27, the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camps, as “International Holocaust Remembrance Day.” The UN has urged every member state to honor the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, and millions of other victims of Nazism; and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides.
Statewide, Vermont is not immune from antisemitism and racist attacks: news media have reported on antisemitic fliers and swastikas appearing throughout the state. The University of Vermont made national headlines as the institution was being investigated by the Department of Education for allegations of campus antisemitism. Nationwide, antisemitism may be worse than acknowledged, as most incidents are never reported, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Vermont Holocaust Memorial, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, is the state’s only group dedicated to facilitating Holocaust education as a means of preserving the memory of that genocide, and using those lessons to combat bigotry, bullying, and racism of all kinds. More information can be found at HolocaustMemorial-VT.org.