FRANKLIN, Wis. — On the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, dozens of people gathered at the Polish Center of Wisconsin in Franklin to learn about the architect of the UN’s 1948 Genocide Convention.
Former UWM History Professor Neal Pease educated attendees on the life of Holocaust survivor Raphael Lemkin, who is known for coining the term “genocide” and pushing the international community to hold perpetrators responsible.
It's work Pease said is still relevant today.
“Genocide did not stop with the Second World War it has continued through the second half of the 20th century," he said. "It continues to this day.”
Lemkin was among the millions of Jews and others impacted by the Holocaust. 49 members of his family, including his parents, were killed.
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“When we talk about the Holocaust, we always want to tell individual stories because we know that 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust,” Samantha Abramson said.
Abramson serves as the executive director of the Holocaust Education Resource Center. She said Lemkin's story is one of many that HERC leaders want to highlight.
Beginning this spring, HERC will pilot its trunk program, which will bring realistic replicas of letters, photos, and other documents directly into the Wisconsin classroom.
"We came up with this idea because we know that students are so profoundly impacted when they get to hear from holocaust survivors themselves," Abramson said. "Unfortunately we're living in an age where there aren't many holocaust survivors left."
So far, HERC has completed three trunks, with the goal of having one for each of Wisconsin's roughly 400 school districts.
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