International March of the Living announced today that Paul Miller will be awarded, on November 9th, for his extraordinary efforts in advocating for human rights and protecting human dignity. The award will be presented to Miller in a special commemoration broadcast to mark “Kristallnacht” by human rights activist and Chair of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) and the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center, Natan Sharansky.
Paul Miller is a humanitarian, paragon of Tikkun Olam & pioneer in the fight against antisemitism. He founded the Miller Center at Rutgers University in recognition of the rising tide of antisemitism in Europe and America and of intolerance in general. The mission of the Miller Center is to assist communities, to enhance their safety and their standing in society.
On the night of November 9th-10th 1938, the Nazis organized the murder of Jews and the burning of 1,400 synagogues and Jewish institutions in Germany and Austria as part of the Kristallnacht pogrom. This event is one of the seminal moments that led to the Holocaust. In commemoration of Kristallnacht, International March of the Living is airing a special program titled “Let There Be Light” which will air on November 9th 8:00-9:15 (EST) on JBS (Jewish Broadcast Services) and on the Jerusalem Post website. The show will honor the moral heroism and valor of those who resisted evil during the Holocaust and at other times of great mortal peril and danger to humanity.
“Even when evil and hatred seem to reign supreme, there have always been those whose light shines through the darkness, through their inspiring acts of courage and bravery,” said Dr. David Machlis, Adelphi University, Executive Producer of the program and Vice Chair of the International March of the Living.
Participants in the show include International March of the Living President Phyllis Greenberg Heideman; Former Attorney General, New Jersey & the Director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics, where he also leads the Miller Center for Community Protection and Resilience at Rutgers University John Farmer; Eyewitnesses to Kristallnacht, from the USC archives, Leopold Gruenfeld, Sigi Hart, and Ernest Rosenthal; Canada’s special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating anti-Semitism and former Minister of Justice, Canada, Irwin Cotler; human rights activist and Chair of ISGAP (Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy) and the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center Natan Sharansky; Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Malcolm Hoenlein; International March of the Living Board Member Mark Moskowitz,
Founder and Executive Director of the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Center Tali Nates, and American NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, a proud Jew who spoke about the Holocaust from space and took with her a postcard from the Holocaust which she displayed on television from her space capsule. The program will be moderated by distinguished attorney, author and human rights activist Richard Heideman.
Among the unique stories of light in dark moments is the story of Carl Wilkens, an American Christian missionary and the former head of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International in Rwanda. In 1994, he was the only American who chose to remain in the country after the Rwandan genocide began. Wilkens stayed in Rwanda even as others fled, including many high-ranking U.S. officials. He rescued many children, Tutsis, protected orphanages, and helped distribute water, food and supplies to besieged areas. Wilkens tours the United States to speak to students, teachers, and parents about his experience in Rwanda. Also featured will be Ani Djirdirian, a Broadway actress, singer and passionate Armenian activist.
The program is part of the International March of the Living’s global initiative to commemorate “Kristallnacht.” On the night of November 9th individuals, institutions and Houses of Worship from around the world will leave their lights on as a symbol of mutual responsibility and the shared struggle against antisemitism, racism, hatred, and intolerance. Messages of commemoration and hope will be projected onto the Old City Walls of Jerusalem.
