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Holocaust Memorial Day Service criticizes apathy in past, present [P]
Jessica Medeiros
Issue date: 4/17/07 Section: News
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![[From left to right] Meggie Matteson, Alina Zolotnitskaya and Jessica Wolchok place yellow roses around candles after reading poems in memory of those who were lost during the Holocaust. The event was held in the Multicultural Center yesterday.](http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper366/stills/7mb634ws.jpg)
Goldstein, a professor emeritus of sociology at Brown University, shared her memories of becoming ostracized from the small village community where her family had lived for two centuries. Goldstein had lived in Germany until she was 8-years-old.
When Goldstein recalls the pain of seeing neighbors' doors and hearts closed against her and other Jewish people, and the closing of her family's store, she said she was struck by the apathy of people around her.
"The overarching fact of my family history in Germany is the silence of those around us who saw what was happening," she said. "There were so many homes where we had been welcomed with open arms, until Hitler came and the doors were closed and there was silence."
Goldstein said this silence was the main factor leading to the success of Hitler and his agenda.
"The silence and acquiescence was a key element in allowing Hitler and his Nazi compatriots to do what they did to so many people," Goldstein said. "The silence of Germans and the world at large should be an enormous lesson to us in a world where there is still too much killing."
Goldstein immigrated with her family to the United States a week before World War II began.
Hillel Director Amy Olson also spoke of the importance of active protest. She said the Holocaust serves as a constant reminder of the tragedy that can occur if people refuse to break the silence.
"There's a very famous quote that those who do not remember history are condemned to repeat it," she said. "That is why it is important to keep telling the story."
