Holocaust conference to look at refugees then and now

The plight of Jewish refugees after World War II and today's refugees from Syria and other countries will be the focus of the 36th Greater Lafayette Holocaust Remembrance Conference, April 23-26.

The conference will open at 1 p.m. Sunday in Krannert Building, Krannert Auditorium (Room 140) with its traditional memorial prayer ceremony and candlelighting by Holocaust survivors. Attendees should enter the building at the Grant Street doors. The day's program will continue with several talks and an evening panel, and an art exhibit will be on display. Details of schedule and speakers are at www.glhrc.org.

The 2017 conference theme is "Refugee: The Perilous Flight." All events of the conference are free and open to the public.

Monday will feature a Human Rights Symposium at 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in Rawls Hall, Room 2082. The symposium is co-sponsored with Purdue's Human Rights Program.

Each evening, Monday through Wednesday, will feature a documentary film and discussion at 6:45 p.m. in the Community Room of the West Lafayette Public Library, 208 W. Columbia St.

At 7 p.m. Tuesday, the McCutcheon High School players will present "937," the story of 937 German Jewish refugees to whom Cuba and the United States denied refuge in 1939. The play, in the school's auditorium, will be directed by English teacher Stella Schafer.

The conference has numerous sponsors in the area. Sponsors at Purdue are the James F. Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship; Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs; Office of the Vice Provost for Student Life; College of Liberal Arts; Department of History; LGBTQ Center; and Purdue Graduate Student Government.

State Street Redevelopment Project construction is under way. This work will close a portion of State Street and significantly affect surrounding thoroughfares in West Lafayette. For construction and project information, visit www.statestreetwl.com.