By Jamil Oakford/managing editor

A Holocaust survivor will share his story of persecution and perseverance on South Campus Jan. 25.

The campus will observe International Holocaust Remembrance Day with speaker Paul Kessler, who experienced the Holocaust firsthand, and a candlelighting ceremony directly afterward.

The term Holocaust refers to the state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately 6 million Jews by the Nazi regime in Europe between 1933 and 1945. The Nazis believed Germans were “racially superior” to Jews and other groups, such as people with disabilities, homosexuals, Poles, Soviet prisoners and Roma (or Gypsies).

“I think this is very important,” said Tatyana Kisin, South government associate professor. “I know there are few Holocaust survivors left alive, and I’m afraid we won’t have these stories around.”

With the help of Kessler sharing his experience in Europe during World War II, Kisin said she hopes students will hear his story and carry it with them.

Kessler, who lives in Fort Worth, was born in Czechoslovakia and has spent his time in Texas volunteering with the Dallas Holocaust Museum.

“He likes students, and he loves to speak to students,” Kisin said.

The Dallas Holocaust Museum, which provides speakers around North Texas for talks and various events, is also helping Kisin coordinate this event on South, she said.

Following Kessler’s speech, six candles will be lit, and a series of Jewish prayers will be sung.

“The ceremony is traditionally done with different prayers,” she said. “They are typically sung. One of the prayers sung will be to pray for those souls who’ve departed.”

The event will be to remember all those who died during the Holocaust, but Kisin said she hopes students can learn a valuable lesson from the painful stories and tragedy.

“If we talk about the Holocaust, we will not ever forget it,” she said. “If we don’t forget it, we might not ever repeat it. I hope people will stand up for what is right.”

Never Again: Lessons from the Holocaust

3-5 p.m. Jan. 25 

SRTA 1102 auditorium, South Campus