Lawyer featured in film for International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Jan. 27

The Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus announced that it will present three screenings of Sundance Festival award-winning film "Watchers of the Sky" as part of its annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemoration on Tuesday, Jan. 27. The screenings will take place from 10 a.m. to noon at the Berman Center for Performing Arts (6600 W. Maple Rd.) in West Bloomfield and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at both the Holocaust Memorial Center (28123 Orchard Lake Rd.) in Farmington Hills and the Jewish Community Center (2935 Birch Hollow Dr.) in Ann Arbor. Admission to all screenings is free of charge. Donations will be accepted. "Watchers of the Sky" examines the life and legacy of Polish-Jewish lawyer and linguist Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term "genocide." Before Lemkin, the notion of accountability for war crimes was virtually non-existent. After experiencing the barbarity of the Holocaust firsthand, he devoted his life to convincing the international community that there must be legal retribution for mass atrocities targeted at minorities, asking, "Why is the killing of a million a lesser crime than the killing of an individual?" An impassioned visionary, Lemkin confronted world apathy in a tireless battle for justice, setting the stage for the Nuremberg trials and creation of the International Criminal Court. "Hosting events in honor of International Holocaust Day of Remembrance, which this year marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, is especially significant for us," said Holocaust Memorial Center Executive Director Stephen M. Goldman. "By expanding the hours of our usual programming and adding locations, we will have the opportunity to reach more people." In addition to the screening, the Holocaust Memorial Center will host museum tours beginning at 1 p.m. on Jan. 27 and guide attendees through the museum dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust. Participants also will have the opportunity to meet a Holocaust survivor after the tour. Included among the tour stops is The Henrietta and Alvin Weisberg Gallery, featuring an authentic World War II-era boxcar. Visitors also will visit the popular Time Line, a circular exhibit that tracks the history of the Jewish people against major events in world history over a period of 4,000 years. Additionally, the tour will feature exhibits focusing on the story of World War II, firsthand accounts from Detroit area Holocaust survivors, and honors devoted to the thousands of non-Jews who saved, or tried to save, at least one Jew, knowing this action could place them in mortal danger. The events of the day are being made possible by the support of the Anti-Defamation League, PNC Bank and Masco Corporation. The Holocaust Memorial Center is open Sunday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last admission at 3:30 p.m.); and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (last admission at 1:30 p.m.). The museum is closed on Saturday and public holidays. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and college students and $5 for children. For additional information on the Holocaust Memorial Center, visit www.holocaustcenter.org, or call 248-553-2400. Published: Mon, Jan 05, 2015