The Charlotte Jewish News - August 2015 - Page 16
Joint Session of NC General Assembly Honoring Survivors of Dachau on the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation
Bernanke to Receive Leon Levine Medal for Life from Echo Foundation
By Jacob Katzenstein I was probably the youngest person participating in the joint session of the General Assembly on April 29. I wanted to be present when a group of people I admire saw their lives come full circle. It was the 70th anniversary of the Liberation of Dachau and the legislators were honoring members of the U.S. Army and Holocaust survivors. Legislators read a special resolution making North Carolina a part of history. The Resolution stated, “The General Assembly of NC honors the courage, memories, and sacrifices of victims of the Holocaust, including those who perished in and those who survived Nazi concentration camps, including Dachau.” At the event I got to meet George Rose, who was among the first soldiers to walk through the gates of Dachau and rescue Jewish survivors. He said, “We went through the main gate and that’s when we saw all the boxcars and bodies thrown one on top of another. Also a wall with bodies like rag dolls laying against it. At first it was quiet, but when the prisoners realized who we were they started shouting, ‘Americans’ and slowly started to come out of the cells. I couldn’t believe the condition they were in, barely skeletons in rags with distended stomachs.
That evening, Thomas W. Ross, president of the 17-campus University of North Carolina system, will receive the Echo Award Against Indifference for his unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and open access to excellent education. Individual tickets ($300 per person for the award ceremony and gala reception) are on sale now. A limited number of $65 tickets for the Awards Ceremony only will be on sale August 1 through Blumenthal Performing Arts Center Box Office - 704-3721000 or .www.blumenthalarts.org. Sponsorships, ranging from $10,000 - $25,000 are available now by calling the Echo Foundation at 704-347-3844. About Ben Bernanke Dr. Ben Bernanke is a distinguished fellow in residence with the economic studies program at the Brookings Institution. He also serves as an outside senior advisor to Citadel. From 2006 through 2014, he was chairman of the Federal Reserve System. Bernanke is best known for helping avoid a global economic disaster during the 2008 financial crisis. Before his appointment as chairman, Bernanke was Chairman of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. He has taught economics and public affairs at
Jacob Katzenstein with George Rose.
We were only there a few hours and then we were relieved by Headquarters and the medics and moved on. I was 18 years old at this time. But it is something I will never forget.” I am 18 years old now. I am also Jewish, so this all meant a lot to me. Watching my dear friend Morris Glass get very emotional was a bit overwhelming. Morris had been a prisoner at Dachau. He is a hero to me. I listened to Morris say that Mr. Rose is a hero to him. There was something so incredible about being a part of this reunion that’s hard to put into words. I just know that I’m fortu-
nate to be able to meet liberators and survivors and I feel a responsibility to share their experiences with others who will not have an opportunity like this. Morris was a kid when the Nazis took him prisoner. He’s 87 now. I hope people don’t forget what happened. I hope it never happens again.Y Editor’s Note: Some people may remember Jacob from when he was a student at The Charlotte Jewish Preschool. He is now lives in Raleigh and will be starting his first year at East Carolina University in the fall. His father blows the shofar for High Holy Days at Temple Beth El every year.
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Princeton University, Stanford University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Bernanke was born in Augusta, GA, and grew up in Dillon, SC. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard University (summa cum laude) and a Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Read more about Bernanke at http://www.brookings.edu/experts/bernankeb. Sandra and Leon Levine Medal For Life The Sandra and Leon Levine Medal For Life honors those who unleash the powerful possibility of immense goodness as they come to realize the impact of dreams turned into action. They have chosen to take risks within their own sphere of influence – to challenge, nurture, and give life to productive change thereby expanding the dignity of all humankind. These visionaries have used their talent and resources in the service of compelling work designed to shape a more just and humane world. Y