HRA18 Blogs & Statements
Holocaust Remembrance Association Statements
Welcome Home, Dr. Susanna Kokkonen!
November 2, 2025 - HRA18 A long-awaited moment of joy and reflection — Dr. Susanna Kokkonen,...
October 2025 Statement by Holocaust Remembrance Association
October 22, 2025 - Dr. Susanna Kokkonen The end of fighting in Gaza, the subsequent executions of...
Children in Many Roles: We Tell Their Stories
October 22, 2025 - Dr. Susanna Kokkonen At the beginning of WWII, children everywhere were still...
Joy Has Returned to the Land
October 13, 2025 - HRA18 Joy Has Returned to the Land We cried. We prayed. We mobilized—together...
Remembering October 7
October 7, 2025 - HRA18 Last night, our community gathered at the Holocaust Garden of Hope to mark...
Charlie Kirk, Israel, and the Call to Be an Upstander
September 18, 2025 - HRA18 The recent loss of Charlie Kirk has left many reflecting on his life...
Holocaust Remembrance Association Blogs
Bloggers (Click to read each author’s contributions):
Blogs by Dr. Susanna Kokkonen
Dr. Susanna Kokkonen is an accomplished author and international speaker, addressing Christian, Jewish, and civic audiences worldwide on topics including the Holocaust, genocide, antisemitism, and contemporary Israel. She has presented her lectures in the parliaments of Canada, Finland, and Sweden, as well as at the European Parliament. Most recently, Dr. Kokkonen served as the Director of Christian Friends of Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem. In this role, she guided Christian dignitaries, spoke to numerous Christian groups, and organized over 10 Christian Leadership Seminars with participants from more than 50 countries. Dr. Kokkonen’s work continues to foster education and dialogue on vital historical and current issues.
Stories that Shine – Ancient Roots that Shape Today’s Jewish Story
November 13, 2025 - Dr. Susanna Kokkonen Chayei Sarah 5786 (2025) Genesis 23:1-25:18; 1. Kings 1: 1-31. Chayei Sarah, the name of this Torah portion refers to Abraham’s wife and her days “Sarah’s Life.” The portion is part of the sabbath also known as Shabbat...
Stories that Shine – Faith, Hospitality, and Hope
October 31, 2025 - Dr. Susanna Kokkonen Vayeira 5786 (2025) Genesis 18:1-22:24; 2. Kings 4:1-37 Vayeira, the name of this Torah portion means that “He appeared”. The person this refers to is God Himself appearing at Abraham’s tent. Hospitality At the beginning...
Stories that Shine – The Journey of Faith, Blessing, and Repentance
October 31, 2025 - Dr. Susanna Kokkonen Lech Lecha 5786 (2025) Genesis 12:1-17:27; Isaiah 40:27-41:16 Lech Lecha, the name of this Torah portion contains a powerful lesson. It refers to Abram’s call. This is a familiar story to many of us. We know about blessings...
October 2025 Statement by Holocaust Remembrance Association
October 22, 2025 - Dr. Susanna Kokkonen The end of fighting in Gaza, the subsequent executions of Palestinians by Hamas and the Rafah attack against Israeli troops -despite ceasefire- dominated media in recent days. As two Israeli soldiers lost their lives, President...
Blogs by Hao Nguyen
Originally from Vietnam, I migrated to Texas in August 2020 and have been living with my stepfather, biological mother, and stepsister. My journey in higher education began as a recipient of the prestigious Chancellor Scholarship at an honors college, where I am majoring in International Business with plans to major in Marketing if finance allow possibly. My academic foundation is supported by full tuition coverage, which enables me to focus on my studies and career development.
Bridges of Compassion – The Untold Stories of Asian Rescuers During the Holocaust: Pt 4, Chiune Sugihara: Saving Thousands with Handwritten Visas
March 19, 2025 by Hao Nguyen. The air changes when we honor our dead. Burning incense fills our home during giỗ (death anniversary ceremony), creating an invisible connection to those who came before us. My family arranges offerings with care—xôi gấc (red sticky rice...
Bridges of Compassion – The Untold Stories of Asian Rescuers During the Holocaust: Pt3: Lieutenant Colonel Young Oak Kim – Resilience and Dedication Despite Discrimination
January 10, 2025 by Hao Nguyen Growing up in Vietnam, my grandfather often shared stories with me as we sat together in the middle of his rice field. One afternoon, as the cicadas buzzed and the warm sunlight cast a golden glow over the fields, he told me about a...
Preserving Our Heritage: Embracing Our Diverse Ethnicities and Cultures
January 8, 2025 by Hao Nguyen Living now in America has presented numerous academic and professional opportunities that have profoundly enriched my life. However, this transition has caused me to drift away from some cherished Vietnamese family practices and...
Preserving Our Heritage: Fostering Empathy and Understanding
December 18, 2024 by Hao Nguyen I recently watched the Vietnamese news on facebook, where they highlighted a concerning trend: many children in Vietnam are increasingly speaking English over Vietnamese. They pointed out that the preference for English often leads to a...
Blogs by Christine Ege
Christine’s early experiences with travel and diverse cultures sparked a lifelong passion for connecting across backgrounds. By age 14, she had lived in various parts of the U.S., forming friendships with people from many cultural communities. This led her to earn degrees in Russian, German, and French Languages and Literatures, including post-graduate studies in interpreting and translation at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. After several years in Norway, Christine and her husband, Steve, settled in Texas, where they have dedicated themselves to numerous volunteer roles. Since 2013, Christine has been a leader with March of Remembrance Texas, passionately advocating against modern-day antisemitism, and she also serves as executive director for a local anti-trafficking organization, where she shares thousands of homemade cookies with the community each year.
Why Should I Care about Israel?
by Christine Ege More than 75 years after the end of World War II, and nearly 65 years after the founding of the State of Israel, antisemitism is far from extinct. In the final chapter of her book, Journey to the Holocaust, Dr. Susanna Kokkonen identifies some of the...
A Recipe for Disaster
by Christine Ege Nuclear weapons development, religious fanaticism, and genocidal threats contribute to an international recipe for disaster, according to Dr. Susanna Kokkonen. In Chapter 11 of her book, Journey to the Holocaust, she describes the shift in Iran’s...
Confronting Symptoms without Addressing the Problem
by Christine Ege In the wake of World War II and the liberation of the remaining concentration camp prisoners, the evidence of unspeakable atrocities committed by the Nazis could no longer be hidden. The world was collectively shocked and horrified at the plight of...
Are We Any Different?
by Christine Ege Studying the Holocaust is far from a simple task. It is unlike any other brief period of history, as its roots are firmly anchored in the centuries and decades leading up to World War II, and its tentacles have continued to affect the world to the...
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