Kenneth & Harriet Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center & Archives
Grand Opening Ceremony
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Remarks by Dr. Eduardo J. Marti, President
Thank you…..Arthur
Thank you, Arthur Flug, for your tireless dedication to using the lessons of the Holocaust to demonstrate how prejudice was the enabler that permitted the world to turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to what was happening in Nazi Germany. Thank you for understanding that this Center is a laboratory where we learn from the lessons of the Holocaust to ensure that the 15,000 students who pass through our doors leave us with the skills necessary to stop bullying, to combat prejudice in every form, to speak out when someone is singled out because of their religion, race, sexual orientation or national origin.
Today is a very special day for all of us. But, today is also a very special day for Arthur Flug and his family. Will Arthur’s family please stand up and be recognized? And, will you all join me in wishing Arthur Flug a very, very happy Birthday? Happy Birthday, Arthur….
Welcome to the distinguished community leaders, volunteers, friends, students and alumni who have worked so very hard to make this day a reality.
This facility was built with the help of many.
There are elected officials here that believed in us from the beginning; there are volunteers, survivors and their families and many friends, who have kept this Center going for over 24 years. This day is important for all of us; but, I dare say, it must be especially important to our wonderful survivor volunteers who now know that what a lot of people thought could not happen, has indeed happened. This Center, because of your work, will forever stand as a beacon of civility in Queens. Because of your work, this Center will ensure that when all survivors, all witnesses of the Holocaust are gone, our students will carry on the banner and will spread the word of what happened during the Second World War…
Why this New Home for the Center?
At the beginning of my tenure as President of this fine College some 9 years ago, I became aware of the existence of the Holocaust Resource Center, and from the first day, I became interested in bringing the Center from the darkness of the basement of the Library to the forefront of the College, where it now serves as a bright, magnificent symbol that we, at Queensborough Community College, stand proud against prejudice in all forms. Some thought that this lofty goal was unattainable, especially for a community college. But here we are…. those who know us understand that this College is, for many, an oasis of hope, a fountain of opportunities for a better life…and, those who really know us, understand that we believe that preparation for life supersedes training for an entry level job…. that historical context, critical thinking, aesthetic appreciation and good communication are skills that are translatable no matter where life takes them. Our students will leave our College, knowing how to ensure that prejudice is not tolerated in any form and that this understanding is the basis of a civilized society.
But before I tell you why I am so interested in providing an appropriate setting for this supplemental educational activity, permit me to acknowledge the work of Dr. William Shulman, professor of history and former Chair of the department. He and Dr. Schmeller, the long serving president of Queensborough whom I succeeded, started this Resource Center and Archives over 20 years ago. So, for over 20 years, materials were collected, lectures were organized, materials were printed and distributed throughout the world. This little Center in Queens was, from the very beginning, a very loud voice in the quest to ensure that students were aware of the Holocaust. We owe the founders a debt of gratitude for their vision and hard work. I am sorry that Dr. Shulman is not here but I want to acknowledge the presence of Dr. Schmeller. Dr. Schmeller will you stand and be recognized? Thank you.
But, back to why this building is important. Let me begin by stating what this building is NOT. It is NOT a museum, it is NOT a memorial. It is a laboratory that provides the students with the tools that are necessary to combat prejudice and hate crimes. Here we provide the historical context, based on the lessons of the Holocaust which demonstrates that the very essence of the Holocaust was prejudice…this ability to dehumanize a group of people just because they were different. Here, we teach our students to speak out; here we teach our students that prejudice starts in grammar school; here we teach our students that bullying, if left unbridled turns into prejudice, that prejudice if left unbridled becomes institutionalized and when prejudice becomes institutionalized, it formulates the basis of massacres and genocides. Here we use the lessons of the Holocaust to ensure that we never stop speaking out when we see someone being attacked because of their race, religion, gender, age or sexual orientation. But, here we do much more.
As a repository of literature from the Holocaust, we serve as a research Center. When we invite scholars to speak we serve as a community center. When we display exhibits about massacres, genocides around the world and, of course, through our permanent exhibit on the Holocaust, we serve as a place where the community and our students can study the root causes of these cataclysmic events. But, always, always we keep in the forefront of our mind that our purpose is to serve as a place where we educate the future workforce and the future leaders of New York City. And, we believe that this education is not complete until our students fully understand the impact of unbridled prejudice.
And, we know that these important lessons cannot be taught in a basement, we know that these important lessons deserve a prominent place; a place that through its beauty and prominent location tells all who come through our gates that this is a priority of our educational offerings.
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The Story of the Building
Public funding
While some people understood the importance of this vision, many others thought that it could not be done. Many withheld their support until they saw that this was real.
Permit me to thank publicly those public officials who stood with us from the beginning… the people who made this building a reality. Senator Frank Padavan was there from the beginning. As a leader in the Senate, he was out the gate with funding. But as you know, we need both houses to support us. Assemblyman Mark Weprin got the NY delegation together to support the funding from the Assembly and he got me an audience with Speaker Silver. I remember when the Speaker asked me point blank…. What will you give up for this Center?….. and, without hesitation, I said all other projects…. Things began to move from then on…. And, the City…. State funding for capital projects must be matched by the City; as you can imagine, this is no easy task. Councilman David Weprin led the fight. He helped us secure the matching funds. And of course, our Borough President, Helen Marshall, and before her Claire Shulman, were on our side. Borough President Marshall added to the matching funds and provided funding for the beautiful permanent exhibit on the Holocaust. Federal officials also provided funding for the exhibits and programming. So, ladies and gentlemen your elected officials are responsible for securing the funding to build this building. Would you join me in giving them a round of applause??
Private funding
In addition to the capital funds, over the years, many people have given of their time to this Center. There are present and past members of the Advisory Board that have guided the operations of this Center for over two decades. It is because of their wisdom and hard work that we have a clearly defined mission and a solid path to follow. Will the past and present members of the HRC Advisory Board please stand and be recognized?
Harriet Kupferberg
Buildings become empty shells of promises unless there is consistent support and renewal of the vision.
And, some understood the realities of what is needed to ensure fulfillment of this vision. But there is always a leader, a person who picks up the banner and leads the charge.
We are fortunate that a quiet but very strong gentlewoman, Harriet Kupferberg, believed from the very beginning that something important was happening here. She understood that this must not be a flash in the pan.. She knew we needed to find a way to ensure that this Center would operate in perpetuity and that the light of this beacon of civility would never be extinguished….
And, she pushed all of us in her gentle way…. She was there from the first meeting with Charles Taunhauser, the wonderful architect who made it his personal mission to make this a place of wonderment. She was there insisting that we use Jerusalem stone because she saw how beautiful it was when she landed in the Tel Aviv airport. She was there ensuring that the wall in the terrace would not detract from the effect of the building from the road… she was there helping me plan the future funding for the programming of this Center. And she believed.. she made this College and the Holocaust Center a priority in her charitable giving. She knew that only through an Endowment, could we ensure the operation of this Center in perpetuity. She knew that only through a permanently restricted endowment, could we protect the Center’s operations from the vicissitudes of politics. She made Queensborough Community College and the Holocaust Resource Center a main priority in her giving portfolio. And she pledged One Million Dollars toward this permanently restricted endowment. For her unwavering commitment, for making this Center a priority in her life, the CUNY Board of Trustees named the Center after Ken and Harriet Kupferberg. Harriet, we are forever in your debt… I am only sorry that you are not here to see it….but, I know that somehow, you know that your dream came through. You will be with us forever…. I know that your children and grandchildren are here…. So, on your behalf, will the members of the Kupferberg family stand so we can express our appreciation to Harriet?
But this is not the work of one person alone. Many others have made this Center a personal priority.. and many are here in the audience. Thanks to Harriet’s gift and that of many others here in the audience, we have surpassed the half way mark to our goal. Currently, the Endowment stands at $2.5 million. Will all the individuals who are in the audience and who have helped us by naming parts of the new Holocaust Center stand so we can publicly thank you for your generosity?
We are halfway there….Now, we need all of your help…..
Your very presence here tells me that you have a connection to the Center. If there is any lingering question as to our mission, as to how we operate, as to where we are going, please ask us. We want you to be clear about what we want to do, and it is our responsibility to ensure that you know what we are asking of you. What I am asking you to do is to help me, to help people like Harriet and the many others who have already made this Center a priority in their giving plan. I am asking you to make the Center a priority in your personal portfolio.
We need to get to the $5 million. Once we get there, this fund will generate an average of $250,000 per year. This will ensure continued operations forever. The College will take care of the salaries, we will take care of the lights and the upkeep…but this public and private partnership will ensure that students for many years to come are educated about the Holocaust and, that , using these lessons, will come to understand that unbridled prejudice is the basis of all genocides.
Most of our students have experienced some sort of prejudice. Help us ensure that we give them the tools to combat it; help us ensure that these 15,000 students per year serve as ambassadors of civility throughout their lives; help us ensure that through education we fight the root causes of prejudice; help us ensure that the horrors of institutionalized prejudice never, never happen again…..
Now, the work continues….. Thank you.
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