The Holocaust Remembrance is being hosted at the Abilene Civic Center on March 1 at 7 p.m.

Max Glauben, a survivor of the Holocaust, will be returning for a second year as a guest speaker to tell his amazing story. John Critvas, a veteran of the 12th armored division, who liberated a concentration camp, will share his experiences. Kimhun Dam, a survivor of the Cambodian Genocide, will also be speaking.

Jennifer Lenches, the project coordinator for 12th Armored Division Museum, who has been organizing the memorial, invited Glauben to speak at their event last year and was so overtaken by his story, that she invited him to speak again this year.

“Glauben is the reason we are having the event on the first, because it was the only time he could fit [the museum] into his schedule,” Lenches said. “His story is not one to be missed or one you can sum up in a quick sound bite.”

Dam is a U.S. history teacher at the Academy of Technology Engineering Mathematics and Science High School in Abilene. She met him through her son, who happened to have him as his professor last year, and the stories he shared blew them both away.
The memorial will begin with flags posted by the color guard from the Abilene ROTC program and then a candle lighting ceremony.

Glauben will speak first, and then Critvas, then Dam, and then if time permits, a couple other veterans that were prisoners of war will speak.

Lenches said she believes the reason it’s so important to remember what happened in the Holocaust is because remembering history will prevent you from making the same mistakes.

“There are multiple reasons why we fought in World War Two, but the main reason was to stop the atrocities,” Lenches said.

Lenches also said she is proud to work for such a meaningful organization, and hopes everyone will come Friday to remember the reason behind why American fought against injustice back then, and why the nation must continue to fight against injustice today.

“The first step to ‘never again,’ is to ‘never forget,'” Lenches said.