**Published in the Manhattan College Quadrangle.
Martin Spett has no problem remembering and retelling the stories of his childhood. He is small in stature with a soft spoken demeanor reminiscent of your typical grandfather figure. The stories he tells, however, are not those of chasing down an ice cream man or hiding a puppy under his bed. No, his stories carry a more powerful message than most, as he describes the most poignant memory of his childhood as one of a mass murder. He has written a book, which along with his poems and artwork, are known to many students. Yet even to these students, when he speaks in public his words are familiar, but still more truthful and chilling than anyone would expect.
Spett, a Holocaust survivor, spoke to a group of about thirty students and faculty in the Scala Room of Leo Engineering Building at Manhattan College on September 23rd. He spoke from his book, Reflections of the Soul: Martin Spett’s Holocaust Experiences, and still managed to stun everyone with his words and the ease with which he spoke them.
His speech was preceded by an introduction by Dr. Jeff Horn, associate professor of history at MC and director of the Manhattan College Holocaust Resource Center, with which Spett works closely. Horn, who was an associate director from 2000 until September of 2007, took over for his predecessor Dr. Frederick Schweitzer as director. He spoke of the HRC, which was created in 1996, in his introduction.
True to form, a change in directors generally means a change in focus and since Horn has come on as director the HRC has taken a different approach than the original mission statement. He is not satisfied by merely “hosting speeches for the community…I probably focus more on the student body and posterity than actually uniting Jews and Catholics in the community.” However, he still continues to stand by the original statement. “People of all faiths can and do empathize with the victims of genocide and with our common hope for a more just world…I think it is the natural implication of the work we do.”
The original mission statement said that it aimed to educate the students of Manhattan College, along with the surrounding Riverdale community about the Holocaust and other incidents of genocide around the world. It is dedicated to promote Catholic-Jewish dialogue set forth by the Second Vatican Council. It was originally founded by Schweitzer, with fierce support from Martin Spett and other members of the community.
In terms of its placement on Manhattan College’s “staunchly Catholic campus,” according to an article in the Westchester Jewish Chronicle, Schweitzer said that “Jews don’t need an education in the Holocaust. They’re experts by dint of experience. It’s the gentiles who need the education,” a theme shared by Spett who says, “It is important to promote peace between neighbors, races, religions and nations…using interfaith communications.”
Horn wants to resurrect the “resource” aspect of the HRC, according to a press release in July 2008. Part of the reason Martin Spett believed so deeply in the HRC was because when he went around to schools to talk about his experiences, he found that teachers didn’t quite know how to go about teaching the subject. Horn wants to “help teachers teach about these subjects and preserve the stories and experiences of the survivors for posterity.”
In the past, much of the focus from the HRC has been on the Holocaust itself. The Center organized trips to the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C., some led by Spett, as well as the Survivors Speakers Bureau, which sets up Holocaust survivors to speak with student audiences at MC and the surrounding area. Recently, however, the events in Darfur, Sudan, which is an example of 21st century genocide, have gotten more of the attention. In the fall of 2007, the HRC sponsored a speech given by Eric Reeves, author of A Long Day’s Dying: Genocide by Attrition in Darfur. The goal of this among other speeches is to inform youth about genocide and continue to promote activism against it.
“The Manhattan College Holocaust Resource Center will always advocate for the victims of state-sponsored violence, whether it be termed ‘genocide’ or ‘ethnic cleansing’,” says Horn. The Resource center avidly supports the JustPeace group mission and helped them send three members to a conference in Boston to help them learn how to effectively advocate for the victims of Darfur.
Yet, it is hard to advocate something when you have nothing. The HRC took a brief pause while Dr. Horn, who was not receiving compensation for his work, took a sabbatical and Dr. Schweitzer had retired. The Center had no one to run it and it closed. During this time, the school decided that it would be beneficial to the community, but most of all the students if it re-opened and continued its existence on campus. Dr. Horn agreed to come back for a four and a half year term, up to 2011. A board of advisors was created to assist him and the school managed to find the resources to offer them some compensation.
The HRC is run by MC faculty and according to Horn, when he steps down in 2011 (and he has said that he will step down), a new director will be hired and he or she must be an expert in some kind of genocide. Until this hire is made, “the center as it is currently organized and run has a limited future,” says Horn.
Although having such a center is uncommon, similar centers can be found at Seton Hall and Boston College. For a college of our size however, having something like this is a rare gem and according to a Sept. 14th 2007 press release, Brother Thomas Scanlon said: “The College is expanding its efforts to institutionalize the center to ensure its effective functiong long into the future. We are hopeful that the HRC will be enriched by contributions and support which will permit it to expand and further develop its events and activities.”
Facing all of this upheaval and uncertainty though, the HRC will continue its work this year with more powerful and informative speeches. On October 30th, Pulitzer Prize winner Samantha Power of Harvard University will present “Can Genocide be Stopped: US Foreign Policy in an Age of Terror” at 7:30 pm in Smith Auditorium. On February 24th, also in Smith, Ben Kieran of Yale University will discuss “Genocide in World History.” It will continue to sponsor JustPeace events and will conclude the year with a performance by Mirium Brickman of Ronald Senator’s “Holocaust Requiem” on April 15th in the Chapel.
All of this is good work in the eyes of Spett, who says that “hope lives when we remember.” His message is simple: just do what you like to live a happy and healthy life because “hate is the enemy.” Horn says that Spett “has stood up to be counted,” and in times like these, who can ask for more.
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