The State of Kansas, represented by Governor Laura Kelly, memorialized the victims of the Holocaust on April 28, 2022, in the Kansas State Capitol Rotunda in Topeka, Kansas.
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. Their years of many efforts resulted in the government-supported Yom HaShoah observance.
Gov. Kelly presented the Kansas Proclamation for the Days of Remembrance, which includes the following: “…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…”
Dr. Michael Good spoke about the experiences and hardships that his mother and father endured during the Holocaust as teenagers. His father, William, hid in the woods with his own father for three years. Perela, his mother, was imprisoned in a forced labor camp.
Life stories of the bravery and fortitude of Holocaust victims can transcend time and remind of the persistent need for all to defend human rights and freedom.
Kansas clergy, lawmakers, and educators participated in the service. Holocaust Survivors, World War II veterans, and second-generation children were also recognized.
Due to coronavirus precautions, the service was closed to the public. Video of the 2022 program can be seen at https://mchekc.org/kansas-holocaust-commemoration/.
