Holocaust survivor, Conrad Weiner, is visiting OU for The MCC Holocaust Remembrance Program.
When Conrad Weiner was four years old, his family was forced to walk for two months to a labor camp in Ukraine — where Jews from his former Romanian town along with other areas were stowed by the German agenda in 1942.
That journey alone doesn’t begin to describe Weiner’s many stories as a Holocaust survivor, said Winsome Chunnu-Brayda, associate director of the Multicultural Center.
Weiner will be a guest Wednesday for students to listen to his experiences for the early Holocaust Remembrance Day commemoration. April 15 is the official Holocaust Remembrance Day, also called Yom HaShoah.
“President Obama once said, ‘It is you the young at heart that the nation is waiting to follow.’ (It’s) important for students to see them and hear their stories and know our past,” Chunnu-Brayda said.
Weiner came to the U.S. in 1960. He was drafted into the U.S. Army, and now lives in Cincinnati.
Now 78, Weiner speaks to schools and organizations about the Holocaust, and educates young people based on his experiences.
Weiner’s story, sadly, is not unique, but must be taken as such, for many young people will soon not have an opportunity to hear these stories firsthand, said Lauren Goldberg, assistant director at Hillel at OU.
“The vast truth is that soon in the next few years, there’s not going to be many survivors that are able to speak to groups like this anymore,” Goldberg said. “We cannot allow their stories to just fade away. We need to honor their legacy that they did not get to fulfill; that’s our responsibility now moving forward.”
There are only a few thousand Holocaust survivors left in the world, according to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
“(Weiner) was one of the few survivors of that camp after he left,” Goldberg said. “About 300 left that camp, but there are probably five of them still alive today.”
Chunnu-Brayda said because of this, the event is something students shouldn’t miss.
“We’re really lucky to have a Holocaust survivor coming to speak at Ohio University,” Goldberg said. “Although the Holocaust didn’t happen very long ago, the truth in the matter is the survivors are getting older and many of them have passed away. It’s important that we all attend this so we can all be present and honor them.”
Chunnu-Brayda said it has always been a challenge to find Holocaust survivors since this program at OU began about seven years ago.
“Most of them are in their 80s now,” Chunnu-Brayda said. “It is getting harder, or it’s becoming increasingly harder for them to travel long distances. We’re going to try to do this as long as we can.”
The event will be at Walter Rotunda to accommodate the high number of attendees, Chunnu-Brayda said.
“To remember the Holocaust is to reinforce that we can never allow something like this to happen again to that many people,” Goldberg said. “It’s our responsibility to remember all of those lives that were lost, and to honor them.”
@mmfernandez
Mf736213@ohio.edu
