Reggio Calabria, Italy—UPF representatives were among the speakers at a national poetry competition focusing on the Holocaust.
The awards ceremony for the third "Remembering, Never Forget" competition was held in the council chamber of Palazzo San Giorgio, seat of the municipal administration of Reggio Calabria, a city in the south of Italy. UPF-Italy was one of the sponsoring organizations for the competition.
The event was held on January 26, 2023, in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day the next day.
The speakers were:
Miriam Jaskierowicz Arman, the competition organizer and the president of the Association of the Academy for the Development of Voice, Judaism and Kabbalah, who is a UPF Ambassador for Peace;
Paolo Brunetti, acting mayor of Reggio Calabria;
Lucia Anita Nucera, the municipal councilor for education, educational policies and international cooperation for the promotion of human rights;
Carlo Zonato, president of UPF-Italy;
Maria Gabriella Mieli, head of external and international relations of UPF-Italy.
Acting Mayor Paolo Brunetti and Councilor Lucia Anita Nucera greeted the participants. Then, on behalf of the Municipality of Reggio Calabria, they presented a plaque of merit to professor and artist Miriam Jaskierowicz Arman, who then opened the meeting.
A singing teacher of Israeli origin, the daughter of parents who survived the concentration camps, Professor Arman explained that, in conceiving the poetry competition, she was motivated by the conviction that remembering is an expression of humanity and a prerequisite for a peaceful future.
For the professor, keeping alive the memory of the Shoah and the victims of one of the most tragic chapters of history, especially for young people, is a prerequisite for preventing the recurrence of atrocities and conflicts. Memory has no value without the involvement of our conscience to overcome and resolve conflicts and discrimination, she said.
The professor then introduced Carlo Zonato and Maria Gabriella Mieli of UPF-Italy. In addition to presenting the mission and work of UPF and its founders, they expressed that UPF's vision of peace represents the necessary awareness to emerge from the bitter and painful experiences that still afflict our human family. It is in the human heart that conflict must be resolved. Therefore it is important to remember, and especially to heal the heart of each person and to comfort and heal the heart of God as well.
The awards ceremony was exciting and engaging, especially listening to the compositions read directly by the boys and girls from various Calabrian schools.
The emotional involvement of each young person emerged as they read their very incisive and touching verses. It was clear how much the tragic situations of the Shoah had touched their sensitivity and conscience.
At the end of the event, a book with the works of the competition was presented. This book will be made available to the public and especially to schools, so that children will become aware of what happened and ensure that history does not repeat itself.