Al Marks, who survived four concentration camps at age 13, will visit College Station Wednesday at the request of the Texas A&M Hillel to share his story.
Students of all backgrounds will have the opportunity to listen firsthand to an experience of a survivor of one of the worst tragedies in human history, the Holocaust, said Rabbi Matt Rosenberg, executive director and campus rabbi for Texas A&M Hillel.
“In the Holocaust, more than 11 million people, including 6 million Jews, were slaughtered by the Nazis while the rest of the world stood silent,” Rosenberg said. “As Aggies and future world leaders, every student has an obligation to hear these stories while we still can.”
For most students, Marks’ story will be unlike any they have heard before, Rosenberg said.
“Students will hear Mr. Marks tell his story of growing up in Hungary, his deportation to Auschwitz and the conditions he experienced in the four concentration and death camps he was confined within,” Rosenberg said.
Marks was liberated from concentration camps in May of 1945 and lives in Houston. Marks is widely renowned as an engaging speaker, Rosenberg said.
“A key phrase that originated from the Holocaust is ‘Never Forget,’” said Daniel Rosenfield, Hillel student president and communication sophomore. “No matter what else may happen in the world, we will never forget what happened during the Holocaust.”
Rosenfield said he wants audience members to leave the presentation with this sense that society must keep the memory of the Holocaust victims alive.
With Marks’ sense of humor and a fascinating story, Rosenfield said students will feel many emotions during the lecture.
Marks’ lecture is part of the Holocaust Survivor Lecture Series hosted by the Texas A&M Hillel and will be from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in MSC 2300 C. The event is free and open to the public.