Dawn Bonker
Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Holocaust survivor and author (
Night
and 50 other books) last visited Chapman five years ago for a sold-out lecture and the dedication of the Sala and Aron Samueli Holocaust Memorial Library. He returns here on April 26 for a 10 a.m. talk in Memorial Hall, which is open only to Chapman students, faculty and staff. This is a very special and rare opportunity to hear from a man whose work, insights and life experiences make him one of the most significant figures of our time. The event will open with a screening of the short film “Boys from Buchenwald,” about the young survivors of the Buchenwald concentration camp (a group that included Wiesel). Then Professor Wiesel will give his talk, “Reflections on Memory and Hope.” Tickets are FREE with ID, but you must pick up your ticket in advance, and supplies are limited. You can pick up your ticket (one ticket per ID) at the Sala and Aron Samueli Holocaust Memorial Library on the fourth floor of the Leatherby Libraries, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Monday, April 5 through Friday, April 9, or while they last.
I don’t understand why such a once-in-a-lifetime event like hearing Mr. Wiesel speak is being held in a venue that cannot accommmodate more people. If Memorial Hall is not big enough for all of the Chapman community to attend, even moreso, the greater community whose interest, it can be argued, is more critical to reconciliation with/understanding of the Holocaust, then it would be of enormous advantage for Chapman to hold this in an adequate venue. I know that time is short, but PLEASE try to find a better venue so that more people can hear this important man.