Jacksonville, AL – As originally reported by Brett Buckner with JSU’s media department, for more than four decades, Jacksonville State University has brought together students, educators, and community members to reflect on one of the darkest chapters in world history. The university’s Annual Holocaust Remembrance Program, established in 1982, remains one of the longest-running university-led Holocaust education programs in Alabama and is one of only three such programs hosted by a university in the state.
This year’s remembrance event will take place April 14 at 7 p.m. in the Merrill Hall Auditorium (Room B10) on the Jacksonville State University campus.
The program will feature keynote speaker James Sedlis, the son of two Holocaust survivors. During the event, Sedlis will share the story of his father, who participated in the Lithuanian Jewish resistance during World War II, joining efforts to resist Nazi occupation despite significant personal risk.
Rachel Weiser, president of the Jax State Holocaust Remembrance Committee, said the event continues to serve as both a memorial and an educational opportunity for the community.
“It ensures that the victims of the Holocaust and their families are remembered with dignity and intention each year,” Weiser said. “Secondly, it broadens our understanding of the Holocaust through, not just the speaker’s stories, but through education. It’s through the ways we involve students, faculty, and community members to create a shared space to learn about and reflect on this.”
A key component of the program is the Imagining the Holocaust Writing Contest, which invites middle and high school students to reflect on Holocaust history through creative expression. The contest includes categories for commemorative poetry, creative nonfiction, and multimodal composition.
Students who place in the contest receive $150 for first place, $100 for second place, and $50 for third place. Teachers or sponsors of first-place winners also receive a $150 classroom grant to support instructional efforts. Contest winners will be recognized during the April 14 remembrance ceremony.
Weiser said the program aims to connect historical memory with contemporary relevance.
“Anytime we can draw contemporary relevance out of these stories, and what I think our event does really well is creating this important reminder that memory carries responsibility,” Weiser said. “My goal is that by studying and commemorating the Holocaust in this way, we help ensure that future generations understand that history in such a way that these events aren’t repeated.”
Since 2023, Jacksonville State has also awarded $1,200 in classroom grants to middle and high school educators through the program.
April Mattox, chair of the Imagining the Holocaust contest, said the funding allows teachers to access materials that may otherwise be unavailable due to limited classroom budgets.
“This makes it possible for teachers to purchase materials often inaccessible due to funding shortfalls,” Mattox said.
In addition, the program offers a $1,500 teaching circle grant designed to promote interdisciplinary collaboration among educators in subjects including history, English, foreign languages, social studies, sociology, and science.
“This grant supports projects that help students understand the Holocaust’s enduring relevance,” Mattox said, “and ensure that future generations never forget the atrocities committed during WWII.”
Previous grant recipients have used the funding to support field trips to the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg, virtual tours of Auschwitz, and the development of classroom libraries focused on Holocaust literature.
Mattox noted that teachers who receive grant funding commit to having their students submit entries to the contest the following year, demonstrating that the resources were used to support Holocaust education in the classroom.
The remembrance program and the Imagining the Holocaust contest are supported in part by the Department of English’s Holocaust Education and Creative Nonfiction Initiative.
Organizers say community partnerships and sponsorships have played an important role in sustaining the program and expanding its reach.
“We couldn’t do this without the community involvement,” Weiser said. “Because this is for the broader community. I think it creates a space to process an important event and to reflect on it; to have a moment of moral clarity that has applications and an urgency today.”
Community members and organizations may also participate in the program through sponsorship opportunities, which help fund educational initiatives, student contests, and guest speakers.
