The Midwest Center for Holocaust Education (MCHE) will celebrate 25 years of making a difference in our community Sunday, Oct. 28, on the enclosed Cohen Community Stage at Starlight Theatre. The celebration provides an excellent opportunity to honor the past and protect the future, with proceeds benefiting MCHE’s school and community programs.
A cocktail reception begins at 5:30 p.m. with a seated dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the program immediately following. Recent Emmy Award winner and author Henry Winkler will share key moments from his life’s journey and highlights from an exceptional career that continues to engage multiple generations of fans.
The Sosland Family is the presenting sponsor for this milestone event, chaired by Beth and Steve Cole, Christopher Beal and Tim Van Zandt.
“This is truly a time to highlight MCHE’s accomplishments over the past 25 years,” commented Steve Cole. “The community response has been extremely generous, which is a testament to the impact the organization has had in our community.”
In recognition of their grandfathers’ key roles in the postwar lives of Holocaust survivors, Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of President Harry S. Truman, and Mary Jean Eisenhower, granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, are serving as honorary co-chairs.
Mary Eisenhower recalled that her grandfather was always haunted by images he witnessed at the camps and seeing firsthand man’s inhumanity and cruelty to others. General Eisenhower called upon his troops in the vicinity of Ohrdruf concentration camp to view the human cost of the Nazis’ genocidal policies and to meet liberated survivors, saying, “We might not always know what we are fighting for, but this is what we are fighting against.”
Daniel observed, “The hatred, intolerance and ugliness currently loose in the world remind me that the roots of the Holocaust are never far below the surface. We have to keep the memory of that horror alive and prepare to fight it, maybe again and again.”
MCHE seeks to increase compassion and understanding by sharing what can happen within a democratic society when hatred and bigotry go unchallenged and by illustrating how the actions of one person can make a difference.
“Since 1993, MCHE has taught the history of the Holocaust to tens of thousands of students and adults throughout the community,” stated MCHE founding Executive Director Jean Zeldin. “We apply those lessons to counter indifference, intolerance and genocide. This event honors local survivors who continue to inspire our mission.”
Reservations to the 25th Anniversary Celebration are limited with fewer than 80 seats remaining. Visit mchekc.org/25 for additional details about VIP packages and individual reservations. Additionally, MCHE invites individuals and organizations to support its important work by creating tribute messages for its Silver Anniversary Journal or by making direct donations in honor of this special occasion.
For questions, contact Zeldin at 913-327-8191 or email . Learn more about MCHE programs at mchekc.org.