Irving Roth was born in Czechoslovakia, survived Auschwitz and Buchenwald, and came to the United States in 1947.

His memories of the Nazi death camps have never faded. Roth spends much of his time educating the young and old about the horrors of the Holocaust and the evils of prejudice and anti-Semitism.

On Oct. 18, he took that message to the Two River Film Festival at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, where he was the featured speaker.

The daylong festival featured films about the Holocaust and programs and symposia on the related themes of genocide and morality. The program was presented in partnership with Monmouth University; the festival’s partnership with the university began in 2004.

Roth’s book Bondi’s Brother, which he cowrote with his son, Edward, details Roth’s experiences before, during, and after the Holocaust.

“The world ignored the road signs that led to Auschwitz,” Roth told NJ Jewish News. “The result was dislocation, flight, and death marches. I was one of so many adolescents that experienced the horror of war. I went from a religious shtetl to a death camp.”

If individuals examine the signs of genocide, the ensuing horror can be predicted and prevented, he said. “There were so many signs that trouble was coming to my country. In 1939, there was no mass murder, but the borders were closed. It was a sign that fearful events were on the way.”

There is also a moral aspect to awareness and survival that can’t be ignored, Roth said. “If I have lakefront property and I see ripples in the water, I have to examine the situation. If I see someone bobbing up and down in the water, I may not want him on my property, but the right decision is to throw him a lifeline.”

The Holocaust survivors who came to the United States also had a moral responsibility to learn about the laws and customs of their new country. “There is a sense of responsibility that we have to accept,” Roth said. “We are our brothers’ keepers, but they must become our keepers too. By understanding each other and actively listening, you can sense if there are signs of danger or destruction. So much agony can be avoided.”

Roth, who now lives on Long Island, has served as education director of the Holocaust Memorial and Educational Center of Nassau County, NY, and is director of the Holocaust Resource Center at Temple Judea in Manhasset, NY. Roth has developed and implemented a worldwide “Adopt-a-Survivor” program, is a past chair of the Shoah Foundation speakers’ bureau, and has spoken about the Holocaust to audiences throughout the world.

“I’m conducting a crusade,” said Roth. “I stress how important memories are; if memories of these experiences fade away, it’s as if they never existed. They must be maintained.

“Awareness and understanding can prevent heinous crimes, like those we’ve seen or experienced,” he said. “Awareness is the way we can preserve humanity.”

More than 400 people attended the film festival, which was sponsored by the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education, the Monmouth University Global Understanding Project, the Monmouth University Jewish Culture Program, the Center for Holocaust Studies at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, the Jewish Federation of Greater Monmouth County, the Ruth Hyman JCC in Deal, the JCC of Western Monmouth in Manalapan, and the Central NJ Section of National Council of Jewish Women.

According to Toby Shylit Mack of Marlboro, chair of the Two River Film Festival’s Holocaust/Genocide Film and Symposia Education Program, the presentation of the films and panel discussions was fashioned as a teaching tool for high school and college educators and offered the community at large a meaningful cinematic and learning experience.

Roth said that as a Holocaust survivor, his own personal testimony is invaluable. “I tell people that they must be aware of what is happening around them. I tell them to listen. The issues of yesterday and today guide our tomorrows.”