Kingwood, TX:  It seemed an odd location for a Houston Holocaust March.  In the very furthest outskirts of the boundaries of the City of Houston, the Kingwood community does not have a large Jewish population.  What it does have is strong bonds in the faith community, both between pastors of varying denominations as well as with the leadership of the local Jewish temple, Temple Beth Torah.  It was those bonds that jump started the inaugural Holocaust March of Remembrance Houston in 2012.  The momentum from the 2012 has gained steam, occurring not only in Kingwood once again in 2013, but across Houston as well.

The Holocaust March of Remembrance is a nationwide interdenominational effort by Christians to stand alongside the Jewish people in their remembrance of Yom Hashoah, “The Catastrophe.”  Following the inaugural march for the Houston area held in Kingwood in 2012, the effort has spread citywide in 2013 with seven marches being held over two days in the Houston Metro area on the weekend of April 6th and 7th.

On Saturday, April 6th, the march in the Northeast – Kingwood location will once again be held and hosted by the churches of Woodland Hills Dr.  Beginning with a 1:30 pm opening ceremony led by Pastor Jim Welch at Kingwood United Methodist Church located at 1799 Woodland Hills Dr, participants will embark on a prayer and awareness walk North on Woodland Hills.

Prayer points along the 1.7 mile walk will be hosted by participating churches:  Kingwood United Methodist Church, Holy Comforter Lutheran Church, Bethany Christian Fellowship, Kingwood Church of Christ, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Calvary   Christian Fellowship, Nuevo Impacto, and St. Martha Catholic Church.  The prayer walk will end at the Woodland Hills campus of St. Martha Catholic Church (3702 Woodland Hills Dr.)

A memorial service will follow at St. Martha Catholic church hosted by Msgr. Chester Borski beginning at 4:00 p.m.  The service will be co-emceed by Pastor Rod Bryant of Calvary Christian Fellowship and Rabbi Dan Gordon of Temple Beth Torah.  Pastor Jobst Bittner from Tubingen Germany, Founder of the March of Life in Europe, will speak at the service.  The keynote speaker of the event will be Bill Morgan, a successful Houston businessman and founder of the Houston Holocaust museum, who began his American dream after surviving the Nazi occupation of his native Poland and escaping war torn Europe.

Also coming to speak from Tubingen Germany is Dr. Franziska Eckert, Resident at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Eberhard-Karls-University.   Descendant of a Nazi SS member, Franziska is a medical doctor and part of a national committee in Germany to work through the history of radiology and radiation oncology in Germany, as radiation was used for forced sterilizations and X-rays for tuberculosis screening.

The community is invited to attend this free event and is encouraged to preregister online at http://holocaustremembranceassociation.org/northeast

About the March of Remembrance Houston

The Holocaust March of Remembrance Houston will be held on the weekend of April 6th and 7th, 2013, in seven communities across the Houston area.  Beginning with a prayer walk and culminating with a memorial service honoring both Holocaust survivors and the rescuers.  To participate in the march in your area, visit http://www.holocaustremembranceassociation.org/participate and register online.

The March of Remembrance Houston (www.holocaustremembranceassociation.org) is part of the U.S. March of Remembrance and March of Life (Europe.) The March of Remembrance/March of Life provides an opportunity for people worldwide to take a stand against modern day anti-semitism, to publicly demonstrate their respect for the Jewish people, and their right to exist as a nation.