Baytown, TX: Communities of the Greater Baytown area will come together again for the March of Remembrance at Trinity Episcopal Church on Saturday, April 26. The event in Baytown last year led to reconciliation between Holocaust survivors and descendants of Nazi perpetrators, demonstrating the power of showing honor to people of different backgrounds.
“I have always had a heart for respecting the dignity of all people,” said the Rev. Rebecca Smith, of Trinity Episcopal Church. “Oppression, persecution and genocide still happen, not just in other countries, but even in our own,” and the March of Remembrance provides a chance to make it known, for people to “speak out about what is right so that these things don’t happen again in our human history.”
The March of Remembrance is an event sponsored by Christians, and held in cities throughout the US, to honor and remember those who suffered in the Holocaust, their descendants, and the rescuers who risked their lives to help their fellow man. It provides a unique opportunity to learn about the Holocaust through first-hand accounts of survivors, and to raise awareness on the issue of social justice in a time of increasing anti-Semitism and when people groups worldwide suffer persecution.
The March in Baytown
The March in Baytown will begin with free registration and music at 1:00pm on Saturday, April 26, at Trinity Episcopal Church (5010 N Main St). The opening ceremony and Memorial service begins at 2:00pm, with testimonies from Holocaust survivors, Ruth and Larry Steinfeld, who will be introduced by their grandson, Brandon Montano.
Following the ceremony is a 1.7 mile prayer walk beginning at Trinity Episcopal Church and passing by Baytown Village Shopping Center before looping back to Trinity Episcopal for fellowship, food, and music.
For more information about the March of Remembrance, and to register for the event, click here.
About the March of Remembrance Houston
The 2014 March in Houston will be held at five Houston area locations, with synagogues and churches from many denominations participating. Each location will hold memorial services with testimonies from Holocaust survivors, along with a prayer and awareness walk. Several locations will also host descendants of Nazi members who will be flying in from Germany to acknowledge the wrongs of their ancestors and to express repentance.
At the same time as the March in Baytown, three other Marches in the greater Houston area will be taking place: in Brenham (Cannery Kitchen), in Kingwood (Christ the King Lutheran), and in Webster (Praise Chapel). Then on Sunday, April 27, the central event in Meyerland will begin at 12:30pm in Godwin Park (5101 Rutherglenn Dr) and conclude at Congregation Beth Yeshurun, where participants may join with the Jewish community’s memorial service coordinated by Holocaust Museum Houston.
