This January, the Office of Institutional Access recognizes Holocaust Remembrance Day, an international memorial day held each year on January 27 commemorating the victims of the Holocaust. We also spotlight members of our Michigan State community that are doing research or work relevant to this month’s topic. College of Social Science alumnus Harry Smith carries on the legacy of these individuals each day in his role as Senior Education Program Manager at The Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills.
Smith knew early on that he would pursue the study of History at Michigan State, seeing the school as a “Backbone and feature of the State of Michigan.” As a lover of history, he was also intrigued by the MSU Library’s extensive Special Collections wing. He was able to utilize its resources in his senior year as he researched for his thesis on the Hitler Youth organization.
To Smith, history as a whole has always been ‘vibrant and interesting.’ He sees the stories it tells as both compelling and a crucial tool to understanding the world around us. “It helped to inform me about why things are the way that they are, and why we are in the place we’re at,” he explained. “I knew I wanted to be a steward of those important elements of our shared and collective past.”
After graduating college, Smith headed into the corporate sector on a job offer he received a few months prior to graduation. He was able to use his research skills to assist in agency recruiting efforts, but felt deep down that this path was not his true calling. With support from his family and fiancee, he went back to school to pursue a graduate degree in history at Wayne State.
While at Wayne State, another recently graduated student reached out to history students with an internship opportunity at The Zekelman Holocaust Center (The HC), and Smith eagerly applied. “This place has always meant a lot to a lot of people, including myself, and I wanted to contribute to its mission, to the safeguarding of its history and legacy and the memorial that it is for so many.”
Smith completed his internship and continued to work for The HC, eventually moving into his current role of Senior Education Program Manager. The HC targets education toward children through tours and field trips, and adults by presenting history through the lens of being a responsible, engaged member of one’s community.
“It’s part of an interest in helping the state of Michigan use this legacy, this memory, to think critically about our civic responsibilities and our efforts in inclusivity and collaboration with one another,” he explained.
This education is also beneficial in efforts to combat antisemitism. It can communicate important lessons on understanding, empathy, and willingness to engage with and understand different cultures and lifestyles. “It’s not always so common to have a great understanding of Jewish culture,” Smith said. “And I don’t think it’s fair to assume that people should know much about things they’ve never experienced. That’s the whole point of education, is to add understanding and realization for people who have never been exposed to it before.”
Smith is often asked if it’s difficult to come to work, given the heavy subject matter he deals with on a daily basis. But the meaning and importance of the work combined with the people he gets to meet and work with are major driving forces that keep him showing up.
“The people who come here and continue this important work are some of the most inspirational and passionate people that I’ve ever worked with, and it makes it very easy to come here and work alongside them and support them as well as myself,” he says. “One of the great joys of working in this realm is that you get to work with people who want to find a way to make our community stronger and the world around us better.”
Holocaust Remembrance Day can be a powerful reminder of a not so distant tragedy and major event in global history, even for those who may not have a personal memory or connection associated with it, Smith explains. “Memorialization, I think, is a way to never allow people to forget what happened,” he said.
It can also serve as a reminder of our collective responsibility in combatting hate and fostering inclusivity.
“In the way that representation and understanding and acceptance can be such a comforting tool to help us cooperate and coexist and collaborate in a shared society and community, it’s important to honor one another and to make space for one another to not only express ourselves, but to listen to others around us. That’s how we share the responsibility.”
Honorees’ views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the College of Social Science.