CEREMONY TO KEEP MEMORY OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS ALIVE HELD THIS MORNING AT UTB

By Juan Montoya

This morning, the University of Texas at Brownsville held a panel discussion and the unveiling of a plaque to keep the memory of the Jewish Holocaust alive in the memory of the world.

The plaque titled – Traces to Remember – is a project of the Global Embassy of Activists for Peace (GEAP).

According to the university's statement, the purpose of the embassy's initiative is to keep the testimony of Holocaust survivors alive. Mr. Leon Horn, a long-time Brownsville resident and Holocaust survivor, agreed to participate in this event. His handprints and those of his sons and grandson have been preserved in a commemorative plaque in the shape of the Star of David that will be unveiled at this event.
Many of the participants mentioned that other holocausts occurred in Rwanda, Bosnia, and even in Mexico, where unofficial sources say more than 100,000 have died as a result of the violence.
Horn, in his remarks, said that not only was the Nazi regime guilty of millions of deaths, but that collaborators at every level of society made the horror possible, including some of the most educated in these respective countries.
"The lesson has not been learned," he said. 

The gathering was held at El Gran Salon at the Student Union.

Following the unveiling and the panel discussion, the participants walked across the street for the ribbon cutting of an accompanying photo exhibit that will be on display in the lobby of the Science Engineering Technical Building on campus.

Attending this morning's ceremonies were U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, TSC board president Kiko Rendon, Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos, BISD trustee Luci Longoria, Cameron County commissioner Sofia Benavides, TSC president Lily Tercero, among others.