MONMOUTH – Western Oregon University will host a talk by Holocaust survivor Eline Hoekstra Dresden and her daughter Deb Mrowka as part of Holocaust Remembrance Day activities on Monday, April 16 at 2 p.m. in the Werner University Center Oregon Room.

She will talk about her experiences in Europe during that time. Dresden was a senior in high school when Holland was occupied by the Germans, and interned in two different camps. She will share her stories of her time in the camps and the tragedies and experiences of her family during that time.

Also on Monday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., there will be a display of over 27,000 flags in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Each flag represents 500 lives lost. There will be an area where people can plant a flag in memory of the victims. 

WOU Leadership Development Coordinator Jon Tucker said, “The sheer visual impact of the display, coupled with the enormity of the numbers of victims is humbling and troubling at the same time. It serves as a reminder that we as a society cannot let anything like this ever happen again.”

The flags will be placed on both sides of N. Monmouth Ave., the center of campus. They are color-coded to accompany a specific group of Holocaust victims.

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