By Alice Murray
President and CEO
(Excerpted from the April 14, 2011 Texas Jewish Post)
Yom Hashoah is a new addition to my vocabulary. For many reading this article it may be a part of your cultural heritage, a household word perhaps, or a certain understanding that is a part of your life experience. For me however, Yom Hashoah is a new experience, a responsibility to learn about a sequence of events that influenced my entire life although I was, until recently, unaware of it.
When I assumed the position of President and CEO of the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance in 2009, I understood my role as the leader of an essential institution with a rich cultural history that speaks of a mission significant to not just the past, but more importantly the future. Through Yom Hashoah I have received an expanded understanding of this role to include being the voice of those who cannot speak for themselves. This includes first and foremost the 6 million Jews murdered unjustly, secretly, silently during the Holocaust, and has extended to include those persecuted today through genocide, dictatorship, and even bullying.
As spring bursts forth in North Texas we experience once again the rebirth of nature. Life blooms all around us, replacing the dull, lifeless earth of winter with beauty, color, and fertility. And never is the power of voice more evident than in spring, as the sound of children playing greets us at nearly every turn, enhancing the sparkle of each sunny day. Their voices are joyful and excited, filled with the promise of life, just as they should be. Likewise with spring the Day of Remembrance beckons. We who know this solemn occasion are called together to speak for those who have been silenced. It seems so long ago and far away when their voices rose for the last time. Yet each spring they rise again through us, through the observance of Yom Hashoah - the Day of Holocaust Remembrance.
I am humbled at the notion that I and all those who honor Yom Hashoah are representing the lives of 6 million amazing people who changed the world. Through Yom Hashoah their lives are not forgotten. Rather, they are reborn each year as we come together, speak their names, read their words, proclaim their legacy. Holocaust survivors are still among us, sharing their stories, teaching us the lessons, bringing their memories forward as a beacon of light and hope born out of so much darkness.
I am honored to enter your life, your home, your family as our work at the Museum speaks to the principles upon which the DHM/CET was founded: remembrance, tolerance and understanding. It would be the greatest honor for me to observe Yom Hashoah with your family. During the month of May, the DHM/CET has numerous opportunities for us to share and commemorate the solemnity of this important occasion together. Your presence will amplify the voices of the victims as we say together, Never Again.
Shalom.
