Events discuss Holocaust, genocide, hate

The 12th Annual Holocaust Commemoration will take place this week with a special focus on the Japanese occupation on Nanking, China during World War II, among other activities.

Barry Gomberg, Weber State University director of equal opportunity/affirmative action, said the six-week occupation commonly referred to as "The Rape of Nanking" is a historical event which many people have ignored.

"I think the rape of Nanking is a terribly important subject which has not gotten much attention around here," Gomberg said. "And so I think it's critical that we learn about that event and come to appreciate and understand what an atrocity that was, because there are lingering issues over it."

As part of the commemoration, the WSU Diversity Center will display scenes from the Nanking atrocity.

"That display will be up all week," said Keith Wilder, WSU coordinator of diversity programming, "which I hate that I have to come to work and walk through it all day. I'll have to come the back door a few times."

Wilder said the display's purpose is to educate people about the atrocities that occurred during the occupation.

"There's a story of a German Nazi who went over to China during the rape of Nanking," Wilder said. "He was in the city of Nanking during the time of all this and he went back to Germany and he told his superiors basically that they were civil in what they were doing with the Jews after seeing what he had seen in China."

Several other activities will highlight other aspects of the Holocaust, genocide and hate. The Diversity Center will build a wall today near the Stewart Bell Tower Plaza that will symbolize hate. Friday at noon the wall will be torn down.

"It's a wall that we actually build at the bell tower to remind people that people are still oppressed in the world," Wilder said. "There's always someone, even though we enjoy our freedom, there's always people out their advocating hate and oppression within other societies and other social situations."

Local newsman Christ Vanocur, who is credited for breaking the Salt Lake Olympic Committee bid scandal, will speak twice tomorrow.

"[Chris Vanocur has] done a great report on the realities of hate and genocide," Wilder said, "and he's going to share that with us and he's also going to celebrate with us one of our Taste of Diversity programs, where the students can taste some traditional Jewish food on Tuesday."

On Wednesday Tom "TJ" Leyden, a former skinhead, will speak about his life in a hate group. This will be the speaker's second appearance at WSU. Gomberg said the first visit was a big success.

"We had the former skinhead several years ago and we filled all three ballrooms and I don't think there was a person there who was disappointed," Gomberg said. "He was absolutely spellbinding."

Both Gomberg and Wilder said the commemoration has proved to be a success the 12 years it has been celebrated at WSU. Sarah Baca, political science senior and vice president of WSU's chapter of Amnesty International, was impressed by last year's speaker, Amnesty International director Bill Shultz.

"It was really neat to meet someone on such a large scale, that they were able to bring him here," Baca said. "He talked about the Rwandan genocide and the stories he told were extremely touching."

Baca said she feels the issues the commemoration brings up are important for students to think about.

"I think that it's great that they have such a big event to commemorate the Holocaust," Baca said, "because it brings awareness to the campus and I think students can always learn from that."

Wilder said the commemoration will help students examine their own problems with hate, and help prevent the spread of it.

"I think the main thing is that [students] would learn and take from each event the relevance of hatred in their own world today," Wilder said. "All of us are somewhat capable of hatred and we alone are the only ones that can be proactive agents against it."

Gomberg said he hopes the commemoration will help prevent atrocities in the world from happening again.

"Sadly these kinds of events are still occurring, and so even if we look at Eastern Europe and Africa these kinds of genocidal atrocities are still taking place," Gomberg said. "And whether you're talking about apartheid or Kosovo or Rwanda, somehow we not only have to head these atrocities off before they occur, but we have to figure out how to rebuild communities and create some sense of justice once these events have taken place."

Watch The Signpost for continued coverage of WSU's 12th Annual Holocaust Commemoration.

You can reach reporter Cory Duclos by calling 626-7655.