“History does not repeat itself. It rhymes,” said Dr. Alan Rosen, quoting Mark Twain.
Rosen, a lecturer in Holocaust Literature at Yad Vashem, the International School for Holocaust Studies, visited Seton Hill University (SHU) on February 11, 2008 in order to deliver a lecture on Holocaust literature to the public.
In an open forum discussion with SHU students earlier that day, Rosen drew attention to the important lessons humanity can learn from studying the Holocaust.
Rosen said that the Holocaust is sometimes inappropriately referred to as the “Hurban” or the “Catastrophe” because it scattered Jews and other minorities and forced them to flee Europe in search of a new homeland.
According to Rosen, many people have tried to erase the memory of the Holocaust because they “don’t like to acknowledge that the world failed.”
By Chris Ulicne,
Alumni
“History does not repeat itself. It rhymes,” said Dr. Alan Rosen, quoting Mark Twain.
Rosen, a lecturer in Holocaust Literature at Yad Vashem, the International School for Holocaust Studies, visited Seton Hill University (SHU) on February 11, 2008 in order to deliver a lecture on Holocaust literature to the public.
In an open forum discussion with SHU students earlier that day, Rosen drew attention to the important lessons humanity can learn from studying the Holocaust.
Rosen said that the Holocaust is sometimes inappropriately referred to as the “Hurban” or the “Catastrophe” because it scattered Jews and other minorities and forced them to flee Europe in search of a new homeland.
According to Rosen, many people have tried to erase the memory of the Holocaust because they “don’t like to acknowledge that the world failed.”
“We are confronted constantly by the signature of those events,” said Rosen, “(For Israel), the Holocaust is only yesterday.”
According to Rosen, every community has a responsibility to help its members survive and to give them a place to belong.
“We’re challenged locally and nationally to give people a home,” said Rosen.
Welcome Home, a homeless shelter located not far from SHU in the local community of Greensburg, tries to meet that challenge everyday, according to Welcome Home case worker Lindsay Stannard.
The 30-60 day shelter is open to women and their families and offers them a place to stay complete with a commons room, kitchen, living room, and typical household amenities.
It also includes boarding space for up to four families and ten individuals, said Stannard.
Welcome Home also offers individual and group counseling with an on-site monitor who assists residents in setting goals each week intended to help them manage their responsibilities and take control of their own lives, according to Stannard.
Stannard said that the need for housing and counseling services at Welcome Home is overwhelming. When the organization first opened in October 2002, the shelter was filled to maximum capacity in less than 48 hours.
The shelter has remained full ever since, and the waiting list never drops below five families, according to Stannard.
“We can’t help everyone who needs us. But fortunately we’ve been very, very blessed. We get calls from people who want to volunteer (and) businesses that want to make donations almost every day,” said Stannard.
Stannard said SHU students and the local community can help them accomplish their mission, too, through volunteer work and collection drives. The shelter welcomes anyone who wants to get involved and make a difference in the community and the lives of homeless families.
“We’ll take all the help we can get,” said Stannard.
According to freshman Chris O’Brien, SHU frequently tries to make a positive impact on the local community by helping local charities.
“Seton Hill does a lot of community service. I like to help out sometimes (and) get involved,” said O’Brien.
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “commitment to service,” SHU students, faculty, and staff volunteer for service projects and participate in charity work at local businesses and non-profit organizations, according to the list of official university traditions on SHU’s website. Seton Hill recently sponsored this annual “Take the Day On” event commemorating Dr. King and included a service team at Welcome Home.
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