The State of Kansas Holocaust Commemorative Service will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, April 9, in the ballroom of the Downtown Ramada Inn, 420 SE 6th Avenue, Topeka, Kansas.
This service is the only government-sponsored memorial in Kansas for the victims of the Holocaust. Founders of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants recognized that the lives of citizens are vulnerable to the power of elected officials. They worked to create, as a result, the government backed Yom HaShoah service.
Gov. Jeff Colyer will present the Proclamation for the Days of Remembrance, which includes the following words: “…the Holocaust was the state-sponsored, systematic persecution and annihilation of European Jewry by Nazi Germany and its collaborators … the people of the State of Kansas should always remember the terrible events of the Holocaust and remain vigilant against hatred, persecution and tyranny; and the Days of Remembrance have been set aside for the people of Kansas to remember the victims of the Holocaust, as well as to reflect on the need for respect for all peoples …”
The keynote address will be given by Rachel Black, who will be speaking on the history of the lives of her grandparents and their fight to survive during the Holocaust.
Kansas’ clergy, lawmakers and students will be participating in the service. Holocaust survivors, World War II veterans, and sons and daughters of Holocaust survivors will be recognized.
The service is free and open to the public. Call 785-272-6040 for more information.
