Every year hundreds of Jewish communities around the world perpetuate the memory of the victims of the Holocaust through the program, "Unto Every Person There is a Name," a public recitation of Holocaust victims’ names, ages and birthplaces on Yom HaShoah – the Day of Remembrance
Once again, the Oregon Area Jewish Committee and the Oregon Holocaust Resource Center sponsored this special Yom HaShoah program on Monday, May 2 at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Thirty-eight readers particpated, including elected officials (Attorney General
Kroger; City Commissioners Fish, Fritz and Saltzman; Portland Police Chief Mike
Reese; and many more), religious leaders, and OAJC board members. Scroll down to see a photo collage of all the readers. You can see an album of photos from the event at our Facebook page by clicking
here. We would also like to share the wonderful article below by
Rev. Lowell Greathouse that was included in this month’s newsletter to
all of the Methodist congregations in the region. He is a past
President of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon and he has participated many times
as a reader in this program.
From
the May 2011 Metro
Connection newsletter of the United Methodist Oregon/Idaho Conference
Thoughts
for the Journey
by
Rev. Lowell Greathouse
Assistant to the Bishop, Metro District
In these weeks
following Easter, I'm reminded of the Jewish proverb:"A person never dies
as long as there is a single soul who keeps alive their memory." For over
two thousand years, Christians have kept alive the memory of Jesus' life, even
as we continue to experience the reality of Christ's presence and spirit in our
midst. This interplay between our annual remembering of the events of Holy Week
and the genuine sense that Jesus lives today is at the very heart of what it
means to be an Easter People. Indeed, the stories of Jesus' life and Way
continue to gain new meaning as we encounter God's love in the world. Yes,
there is "good news" to share, and it is our responsibility, as
Brother Roger (the founder of the Taize community) says, to "live the
little bit of gospel you have grasped."
For the past seven years, I have participated in the Yom HaShoah-Day of
Remembrance event held at Pioneer Courthouse Square each spring. It is
sponsored by the Oregon Area Jewish Committee and the Oregon Holocaust Resource
Center. For a number of hours on this day, faith and community leaders read the
names of individuals who were killed during the holocaust.
It is an incredibly powerful and humbling experience to read the names.
Sometimes they represent entire families. Each person reads names for ten
minutes, before passing this sacred task on to another individual: Miksa
Gruenfeld, age 82...Manek Gruenfeld, age 22.....Moshe Grinfeld, age 23....Pal
Gruenfeld, age 3.....Isaak Grinshtat, age 5....Khava Grinshtat, age 27...Khasia
Grinshtat, age 51.....Yenta Grinshtat, age 49....The list goes on and on.
Millions of names...each one a human being crucified by the hatred of modern
warfare. It is an experience beyond words, yet filled with deep meaning.
Each time I participate, I am struck by the fact that as I'm handed a list of
names to read that right there under my feet are the names of hundreds of
Portlanders, who are remembered in the brickwork of Pioneer Square because
their financial gifts made something special possible. It is always such a
haunting image in my mind....to be reading the names of people who vanished for
no reason, while standing on the names of people who are remembered for their
contributions to our community's "living room."
Remembering is an important dimension of one's faith. It is also an essential
part of a living community. It is why Holy Week is a holy experience. To be a
Christian means to remember, but it also means to speak up and speak out so
that hatred will never be given the last word....so that no one will be
forgotten as the vessel of the divine spirit that they embody.....so that love
and compassion will always find their proper place in the public square.
Blessings,
Lowell
TOP ROW: Detective Kevin Warren, Portland Police Bureau; Ken Kwartler; Rev. Arvin Luchs, Portland First United Methodist Church; Barbara O’Hare;
Commissioner Dan Saltzman, City of Portland;
Paul Schlesinger, Oregon Holocaust Resource
Center
SECOND ROW: Kathleen Saadat, City of Portland; Sacha Reich, Jewish Theater Collaborative; Sherry Fishman, Jewish Federation of Greater Portland; David Leslie, Executive Director, Ecumenical
Ministries of Oregon; County Chair Jeff Cogen, Multnomah County
THIRD ROW: Michelle Bombet-Minch, OAJC Board; Commissioner Nick Fish, City of Portland; Jill Slansky, Oregon Holocaust Resource Center; Evelyn Banko, Oregon Holocaust Resource Center; Rev. Alcena Boozer
FOURTH ROW: Elaine Coughlin, Oregon Holocaust Resource Center; Elise Brickner-Schulz & Gary Brickner-Schulz; OAJC Board; Nancy Panitch, Inter-Religious Action Network of Washington County; Arnold Cogan; Jeanne Atkins, State Director, Office of Senator Jeff Merkley
FIFTH ROW: Marc Blattner, Executive Director, Jewish Federation of Greater Portland; Mayor Denny Doyle, City of Beaverton; Libby Schwartz, President, OAJC; Commissioner Dick Schouten, Washington County; Attorney General John Kroger, State of Oregon
SIXTH ROW: Commissioner Amanda
Fritz, City of Portland; Sonia Marie Leikam, Executive Director, Oregon Holocaust Resource Center; Rev. Lowell Greathouse, United Methodist Conference; Commissioner Judy Shiprack, Multnomah County; John Stubenvoll, Oregon Food Bank
SEVENTH ROW: Rev. Ross Miller & Nancy Miller; Hillary Barbour, Office of Congressman Earl Blumenauer; Rev. Angie DeRouchie, Chair, Inter-Religious Action Network of Washington County; Chief Mike Reese, Portland Police Bureau
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