The 13th annual Holocaust Remembrance program was again held at the historic Lincoln Theatre on Wednesday, May 10, 2006.

With the focus so strongly on the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, our theme for 2006 was The Holocaust to Darfur - Never Again, Again?.

In 2005, we wrote "After the atrocities that came to be known as the Holocaust received widespread attention following the liberations of the concentration camps, 'Never Again' became a slogan heard around the world. While there has not been a genocide on the same scale as the Holocaust, 'Never Again' has been proven an illusive goal." At that time, we were speaking about the massacre that had taken place in Rwanda in 1994. Now, Darfur.

Joining us was Dr. Ernest Fontheim, who survived privation and terror within Germany. Key members of his family disappeared into Auschwitz in 1942 and he never saw them again. He was able to obtain a forged ID and went underground with a few others. He endured near starvation and frequent threat of exposure for three years. The only good thing to occur during this dangerous period was that Dr. Fontheim met his future wife while underground. Learning that a local Nazi had become suspicious of them and reported them to the police for destruction, they were able to escape with the help of neighbors, an elderly couple named Drossel and their German Army Officer son Heinz. Heinz had also earlier risked death by refusing to kill Allied soldiers in hiding. Heinz is still living in Germany; due to his age and frail health, he was not able to make the trip to join us.

To help educate us on the ongoing tragedy in Sudan, our second guest was Omer Ismail, born in El Fashir, Western Sudan. After graduating from Khartoum University, he worked as research assistant to Dr. Mansour Khalid, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs in Sudan. His work with international relief and development organizations continued until 1988 when he became the Operations Manager for the United Nations Operation Life Line Sudan, the largest relief operation in the world at the time. He fled Sudan after the NIF (National Islamic Front) took power in 1989 and since has lived as a refugee in the US, currently in Silver Spring. He returned to the United Nations to serve in Somalia between 1992-1994. In Washington, he helped found the Sudan Democratic Forum, a think tank of Sudanese intellectuals working for advancement of democracy in Sudan. He is the spokesperson for The Darfur Union, an advocacy group, and the co-founder of Darfur Peace and Development.

Gurvir Dhindsa, an anchor on WTTG-TV, Fox 5, in Washington, was our moderator. Gurvir started out as a production assistant at WTVF-TV in Nashville, her hometown. She has worked as a reporter and anchor in Jackson and Biloxi, Mississippi, and spent four years at WUSA-TV in Washington before moving to Fox 5. She has won numerous awards, and was twice nominated for Emmy awards during her three years at Fox 5.

Photo credits for the program cover above: Auschwitz, USHMM; Darfur, Jerry Fowler, Staff Director, USHMM Committee on Conscience.

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