Three hundred members from campus and surrounding communities gathered at the College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE), Morristown, N.J., Monday, November 5, 2007, to witness in the blessing of the College’s new Holocaust Education Resource Center, housed within CSE Annunciation Center.

During the brief ceremony, CSE Campus Minister, Timothy M. Mulligan; Rabbi Alan Silverstein and Cantor Joel Caplan of Congregation Agudath Israel in West Caldwell added their blessings toward the very special space. As a special gesture, the College ceremoniously installed a Mezuzah at the doorpost of the Center’s entranceway. The Mezuzah, a piece of parchment (usually contained in a decorative case) inscribed with specified Hebrew verses from the Torah, is the gift of Marjorie Feinstein of North Caldwell, former Communications Professor at CSE and Chair of the Capital Campaign for the Holocaust Education Resource Center’s new facilities.

 (l - r) CSE Building Mechanic Chris Doster installs a Mezuzah ontot he doorpost of the College’s new high-tech Holocaust Education Resource Center, with Marjorie Feinstein, former CSE Communications Professor and Chair of the Capital Campaign for the Holocaust Education Resource Center’s new facilities. (Photo by Courtney Smolen)

“I remember with clarity some years ago about the College’s plans for Annunciation Center, and added the caveat that within the new building, they would house a state-of-the-art Holocaust Education Resource Center – complete with classroom, conference, study and exhibit space,” muses Mrs. Feinstein. “The announcement literally took my breath away. The College of Saint Elizabeth is a vibrant, energetic community of learning from diverse backgrounds and cultures and it is clear that the College is truly making a statement of major magnitude about the importance of remembering the lessons of the Holocaust.”

Afterwards, guests were invited to stroll through the newly dedicated space, which comprises of a 50-inch plasma television with laptop connectivity and DVD/VCR playback; audio conference capability; as well as Internet, campus network and Cable television access.

 Marjorie Feinstein (second from left), gathers with family members at the entranceway to CSE new Holocaust Education Resource Center. (Photo by Courtney Smolen)

This year marks the 18th (“chai”) anniversary of the College’s annual Week of Holocaust Remembrance. The Holocaust Education Resource Center itself was founded in 1994 by two faculty members, Dr. Harriet Sepinwall of Pinebrook and Sister Kathleen Flanagan of Morristown, to teach about the Holocaust and build Jewish-Christian relations. All programs for the weeklong commemoration are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Susan Jones, secretary of the Holocaust Education Resource Center at (973) 290-4387 or visit www.cse.edu/holocaustcenter for a complete schedule of the week’s programs.