CAP: Andy Sarkany (center), center, of New Haven, a survivor of the “Budapest Ghetto” during the Holocaust, discussed his experiences growing up under the Nazi and Soviet systems at the “We Walk to Remember” event at Quinnipiac University on May 4. After his speech at the school’s Mount Carmel Auditorium, Sarkany led Quinnipiac students on a silent walk throughout campus (photo credit: Randy Frank, Quinnipiac University). The event was sponsored by Alpha Episolon Pi fraternity, Peter C. Hereld House for Jewish Life, and BBYO.

The Mandell JCC, the Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut (JFACT) and Voices of Hope, hosted a special community-wide “Reading of the Names” ceremony, on Monday, May 2, 2016 at the JCC in West Hartford. The day-long event paid tribute to the victims of the Holocaust, and served as both a reminder and a memorial for the community. The victims’ names, provided by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Yad Vashem, were read by members of the Greater Hartford community, including West Hartford Mayor Scott Slifka; Trinity University President Dr. Joanne Berger-Sweeney, Kingswood Oxford Headmaster Dennis Bisgaard, Hall High School Principal Dan Zittoun, members of the West Hartford Police Department, and the children and grandchildren of local Holocaust survivors. The ceremony also featured student readers from various local schools, including the Hebrew High School of New England, Watkinson School, BBYO, and more.

“Reading the names of victims was powerful,” said Jack Hutensky, a member of BBYO. “The connection between the past and the present that this tradition fosters both honors those who lost their lives, and serves as a much needed reminder that we must all work to ensure that something like the Holocaust never happens again.”