Yesterday, hundreds of Columbia students gathered out on the college walk to observe Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. After a small ceremony, students took turns reading off the names of the victims of the Holocaust. Today's edition of The Columbia Spectator has a great article covering the event. Here's a snippet of the article from their site:

"On a cold, gray Thursday in the midst of finals, about one hundred Columbia students paused in the Satow Room to honor Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. The Hillel-organized ceremony was meant to allow the community a chance to “stop and commemorate the Holocaust and to place it at the forefront of our minds,” said event organizer Emma Lebwohl, SEAS ’11. The ceremony was followed by a procession to the sundial, marking the beginning of a 24-hour name-reading in memory of the 6 million Jews who perished during World War II.

Keynote speaker and Holocaust survivor Sol Rosenkranz shared his harrowing experience living through six different concentration camps. Born in a small town in Western Poland, Rosenkranz, a small man with piercing eyes, was one of only two survivors out of a family of nine...

Some described the ceremony as a deeply touching experience. Nicole Mizrahi, BC ’10, felt that the emotional weight of ceremony transcended words, but did express her conviction that “it is important to remember these events because sadly, in the coming years, there will be no one to tell the story,” referring to the dwindling numbers of Holocaust survivors. But Sarah Ishal, BC ’10 said that the passing on of stories was the real point of the event...."

For the full story and coverage of the event, head over to the Columbia Spectator's site.

If you forgot to observe Yom HaShoah, take a moment to reflect today.