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Holocaust Survivor Hopes To Educate Through Lecture Series

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (CBS4)- Peter Gorog was only 2 years old when his mother was notified his father "disappeared" during the war activities. Gorog's father was a victim of the Hungarian government's anti-Semitic policies and practices.

Gorog survived the genocide and continues with his life's mission to share what happened in hopes that future generations won't forget.

This week, students at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction are learning the horrific events leading up to and during the Holocaust as well as its lingering effects decades later.

Holocaust Awareness Series includes a series of lectures and symbols on campus including a field of flags representing the six million Jews and others killed in the Holocaust. The field of flags on display in the grass near the cafeteria each represent 5,000 lives lost.

holocaust survivor
Flags on campus at Colorado Mesa University represent the genocide during the Holocaust (credit: CBS)

"To realize these are real people that this horrific event happened to," student organizer Olivia Blackwell told CBS4.

But this week, the students are also hearing from the past.

"I am myself a child survivor of the Holocaust, I lost my father and some relatives. I believe I owe it to their memories to keep their memories alive," said Gorog.

Gorog works with the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC, helping to translate Holocaust victim journals and travels across the country to share what happened with students. He is one of the youngest survivors, and the number of people still able to share their first-hand accounts is dwindling.

"It's getting much harder to have Holocaust survivors come and speak to hear their stories," Blackwell added.

Gorog says this is not just about what happened so many decades ago. It's also about what is happening in the present. He says anti-Semitic hate speech continues and the battle to confront this hate continues.

Colorado Mesa University raised money to bring Gorog to campus to speak. The university is offering a full week of programs aimed at helping students learn about what happened from first-hand accounts. The Holocaust Awareness Series also draws community members to campus to learn and honor the victims.

"It's a way to bring together the Grand Junction community, the campus community," said Colorado Mesa University Professor Dr. Vincent Patarino.

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