https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1VVw3UlqWY
70 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, community members gathered to remember the victims and survivors of the Holocaust at the El Paso Holocaust Museum for International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
In honor of the 70th anniversary of liberation from the Holocaust, the El Paso Holocaust museum opened their latest exhibit. Executive Director Lori Shepherd says the exhibit is to honor local heroes.
“El Paso and the surrounding communities had a tremendous number of local liberators,” Shepherd said. “And we want to honor what those folks did. Today is the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, within a few months of that liberation; other camps were liberated as well, such as Nordhausen. The folks who liberated Dora- Nordhausen were from right here in El Paso, the Timberwolves, the 104th division.”
She says that places like the El Paso Holocaust museum are important to preserve this time in history.
“It’s important to remember and to commemorate the victims and also those who survived,” Shepherd said. “So, that we never forget and this never happens again. And each year that pass, it’s becoming more and more important because so many of our survivors are passing away. So, many of the people who can tell the story first hand are not with us anymore.”
She says that communication with the areas survivors is one of the most important jobs for the museum.
“El Paso had a real rich base of survivors,” Shepherd said. “We had between 75 and 85 survivors here. Unfortunately, we only have a little more than 8 maybe 10 left, and a lot of them aren’t able to tell their story anymore. One of the things that we have done, and that other places have done is we’ve recorded their testimonies, so we have their digital testimonies.”
She says that remembering the holocaust is a way to continue to spread tolerance around the world.
“The lessons today are just as poignant as they were 70 years ago,” Shepherd said. “We have to be kind to one another, we have to be gentle with one another. We can’t hate one another based on gender, based on ethnicity, religion, and sexuality. We have to treat each other with respect and dignity.”
The local liberators exhibit will be a permanent edition to the El Paso Holocaust Museum
