The third annual Scottsdale Community College Genocide Awareness Week, held April 13-18, will feature a diverse lineup of speakers and exhibits designed to call attention to the ongoing problem of genocide around the world, Jewish News reports.
“ ‘Never forget’ is essential,” says John Liffiton, a professor at SCC and one of the event organizers. “But what is really an important aspect, and we have failed miserably at it, is ‘never again.’ … You’ve got to make sure that people are aware that this is happening now.”
This year’s event has a special focus on the Armenian genocide; April 24 will mark the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the mass killing of at least 1 million Armenians by the Ottoman government.
Other genocides addressed during the event include the Navajo relocation, the Kurdish genocide, and the murder of Ukrainians by Joseph Stalin during the 1920s. The “Hélène Berr, A Stolen Life” exhibit is on display through May 15.
Saturday, April 18, will again be an educator day that draws teachers from around the state looking to gain insight on how to teach the Holocaust to their students. Liffiton says that in years past, about 130 educators attended, and he is hoping that number goes up this year.
After the close of Genocide Awareness Week, a memorial in honor of all genocides will be dedicated in a public ceremony at 9 a.m. Friday, April 24.
The full lineup of Genocide Awareness Week events can be found online at scottsdalecc.edu/promo/genocide-awareness-week-2015. Events with Jewish content include:
