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New Jersey Jewish News Story
NJ Holocaust commission welcomes three new members
by Marilyn Silverstein
NJJN Staff Writer
The face of the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education took on new dimensions of diversity on Feb. 15 as three newly appointed members joined the body charged with promoting Holocaust/genocide education throughout the state.
The new members are Dennis Papazian, PhD, of Woodcliff Lake, a professor of history at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and director of the university’s Armenian Research Center; Cecile Seiden of Livingston, a retired educator who was a hidden child in Belgium during the Holocaust; and Mabel Williams of Ewing Township, manager of equal-employment opportunities and affirmative action for the NJ Department of Education. All are appointees of former Gov. Richard Codey.
“I’m very pleased that the governor’s office has appointed individuals to the commission who represent diversity for the membership,” Paul Winkler, executive director of the 21-member commission, said in an interview before the commission’s meeting in the State House Annex in Trenton.
“The Holocaust Commission has long felt that its role is to deal with all issues of bias, prejudice, and acts of discrimination. That’s been the key,” Winkler said. “This is not the Jewish commission or the Israel commission. This is a commission that deals with all issues of bias, and we’re pleased this will continue with the new membership.”
Commission chair Philip Kirschner also welcomed the diversity of the new members. “I think it’s terrific,” the Trenton attorney said. “The new appointees bring a needed perspective — something I think will enrich the commission’s work in the future to reach many more people in the state.”
Papazian, who has long been active in political and educational circles in Michigan, said he sought out a seat on the commission when he moved to New Jersey a year and a half ago with his wife, Mary, who had just taken a position as dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Montclair State University. He continues to work for the University of Michigan on a telecommuting basis and also contributes to the work of several international groups focused on the issue of genocide, including the International Association of Genocide Scholars and the Workshop for Armenian-Turkish Scholarship.
“I’ve always had an interest,” Papazian said. “I said to myself: How can I get attached in a new state?
“I feel honored,” he added. “My goal is to work with the group to continue its programs and, if possible, to enrich it — to add another dimension. The group has done some wonderful things in terms of education, and I hope to contribute to that.”
For Williams, who was appointed to the commission on the recommendation of Democratic Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman of Trenton, working with Winkler will be nothing new. The two have collaborated for several years at the Department of Education and, in 1996, they joined forces to form the Global Village Team, a group of volunteers who develop programs on Holocaust remembrance and the commemoration of such observances as Black History Month and Women’s History Month.
“We try to acknowledge all contributions of people and, most importantly, to raise the level of awareness of how important it is to live together in a diverse society,” Williams said.
She hopes to bring a similar mindset to her work on the commission, Williams added. “I’m honored,” she said. “I’m very happy to be a member of this commission.”
For Seiden, who was principal of the Summit Jewish Community Center for 11 years before her retirement in 1998, sitting on the commission is just one more step in a long association with the body. She is one of the writers of the commission’s curriculum guides, “Caring Makes a Difference,” for grades kindergarten through four, and “To Honor All Children,” for grades five through eight.
“I’ve been teaching about Holocaust education since 1965,” said Seiden, who is active with the Holocaust Council of MetroWest. “I’m very excited to be on the commission, and I hope I can contribute my share and continue my quest to bring Holocaust education to children in the state of New Jersey.”
As the commission meeting got under way, Seiden told the group, “I feel personally very touched by the Holocaust. I feel I have to speak out for those who perished — especially for the one-and-a-half-million children who died.”
During the meeting, the commission members discussed ongoing efforts to monitor and assess the effectiveness of Holocaust education in the state, and they looked forward to several upcoming events, including the state’s Yom Hashoa observance, which is set for Sunday, April 30, at 1 p.m., in the General Assembly Chambers in Trenton.
The commission’s unprecedented initiative to bring together Holocaust survivors and students throughout the state has grown “unbelievably,” Winkler told the members. Students have created adopt-a-survivor programs. They have engaged in projects to paint portraits and write biographies of survivors. And they have even organized proms for survivors who never had their own.
“We have had about 1,000 survivors involved,” Winkler said. He noted that about 3,000 survivors currently live in New Jersey. “About 800 teachers have been involved, and thousands of students have been impacted by this effort.
“Again, I congratulate the commission,” he said. “It’s one of the most exciting things I’ve seen happen. I know you want to continue this. We still have work to do, as long as we can do it.”
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