The Virginia Tech community celebrates its first Jewish Awareness Month in 2007 with the theme "5,767 Years of History and Humor" from Mar. 15 to April 22. Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, world-renowned author, lecturer, and sex therapist, kicked off Jewish Awareness Month at Virginia Tech with a keynote address on March 12. Westheimer is a holocaust survivor and the child of German parents who perished at the hands of the Nazis.

Other highlights of the month-long celebration include a “Reading of the Names” on Monday, April 9 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on the Virginia Tech Drillfield. At this time, the names of men, women, and children who lost their lives during the Jewish Holocaust will be read aloud on campus.

At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 20 in Squires Student Center, room 116, Friends of Israel will host a “Dead Sea Spa Night”. Try the world famous "mineral mud" from the Dead Sea in Israel with mud masks, lotions, and more.

On Wednesday, March 21 at 7 p.m. in the Graduate Life Center Auditorium, the film, “Promises” will be shown. “Promises” is a documentary made in the West Bank and Jerusalem that depicts the Middle East conflict through the eyes of children who experience it daily. Following the screening, a guest speaker from the Valley Interfaith Child Care Center will share insights and discuss topics relevant to the film's theme.

On Thursday, March 29 at 7 p.m. in Burruss Hall Auditorium, the Virginia Tech Union will sponsor a play entitled “Lost in Yonkers.” This is the story of two young brothers who go to live with their strict German grandmother during World War II. Cost for the general public is $20, $17 for faculty and staff, and $7 for students

At 7 p.m. on Friday, March 30 in Alumni Assembly Hall, there will be a “Cultures of Memory Lecture.” Participants will discuss the significance of catastrophe in the construction of cultural memory in the twentieth-century, with emphasis on the moral and political lessons of the Holocaust. The presentation will include a panel of professors from around the nation and Puerto Rico who are recognized experts on this topic.

Many other events are planned throughout the month, including a variety of religious lectures, inspirational films, and high-energy comedic shows. A complete calendar of events for Jewish Awareness Month at Virginia Tech can be found at the Multicultural Programs and Services website or by contacting Multicultural Programs and Services at (540) 231-8584.

Founded in 1872 as a land-grant college, Virginia Tech is the most comprehensive university in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is among the top research universities in the nation. Today, Virginia Tech’s eight colleges are dedicated to quality, innovation, and results through teaching, research, and outreach activities. At its 2,600-acre main campus located in Blacksburg and other campus centers in Northern Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Hampton Roads, Richmond, and Roanoke, Virginia Tech enrolls more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries in 180 academic degree programs.

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