Holocaust Survivor Ruth Fishman Speaks at 14th Annual Holocaust Remembrance

Holocaust survivor Ruth Fishman, of West Hartford, will be the keynote speaker at the University of New Haven’s 14th annual Holocaust Remembrance Event on Wednesday, April 19th at 3 p.m. in the Bucknall Theater in Dodds Hall.

The ceremony, free and open to the public, will feature the reading of names of persons who perished in the Holocaust and who have a relationship to a member of the University.

The ceremony will include a rendition of the poem, "The Butterfly" by Pavel Friedman, delivered by students in the theatre department. Friedman was a prisoner at Theresienstadt, a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia near Prague, where Fishman was also held.

"The event has found resonance because it affords a unique opportunity for our students to get clear lessons on the roots of genocide and the importance of tolerance and understanding as bedrocks for a peaceful society," said Ira Kleinfeld, professor emeritus of engineering and retired associate provost.

Its primary purpose is to honor and memorialize the millions of Jews and others who were targeted and murdered during the Holocaust. In today’s climate, such lessons are increasingly important.

Ruth Lichtenstern Fishman was born in Cologne, Germany, on July 17, 1936, but moved with her family to Amsterdam.  She was with her family at Theresienstadt when it was liberated by Soviet troops on May 9, 1945. She moved  to the United States when she was 18. 

Founded on the campus of Yale University in 1920, the University of New Haven is a private, educational institution which is comprised of five colleges that provide career-focused education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences, fine arts, business, engineering, and public safety and service. The University is a diverse and vibrant community of more than 6,800 students, including 1,800 graduate students and more than 5,000 undergraduates.