Gordon in the News: last updated 10/30/2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 28, 2009
MEDIA CONTACT
Jo Kadlecek
Office of College Communications
978.867.4752
[email protected]
WENHAM, MA—Sonia Weitz was only 11 years old when she and her family were herded into the death camps of Nazi Germany nearly 65 years ago. Of the 84 members of her family sent, she and her sister Blanca were the sole survivors.
Weitz, a Peabody, Massachusetts, resident, poet, author and friend of Gordon College, will return to the Wenham campus for her 29th consecutive annual lecture. On Thursday, November 5, 2009, at 7 p.m. in the Jenks Library lecture hall, room 237, the Holocaust survivor of five different Nazi death camps, including the infamous Auschwitz in her native land of Poland, will speak about her personal experiences and read some of her poetry. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Weitz will present the true story of her life and experiences in Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, and other death camps, and will reflect on how those experiences shaped her life and the lives of countless others. Three years ago, the College presented Weitz with a certificate of honor to commend her long history of sharing her story with Gordon College students.
"Year after year Sonia Weitz' story has left a profound impact upon Gordon students," said Dr. Marvin Wilson, professor of biblical and theological studies. "In a world again confronted with genocide, the lessons Sonia draws from the Holocaust years must not be forgotten."
The author of I Promised I Would Tell, Weitz is co-founder of the Boston North Holocaust Center in Peabody. She has been awarded the State of Israel New Life Award and has also been recognized by the U.S. Congress as well as named "Woman of the Year" by B'nai B'rith—one of the world's largest and oldest Jewish human rights, community action, and humanitarian organizations. Appointed by former President George W. Bush, Weitz serves on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum--America's national institution for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history.
For more information on this free lecture, contact the Office of College Communications 978.867.4235.
