The UA Hillel Foundation is hosting both the 24th Annual Holocaust Vigil and the Butterfly Project for 24 hours, beginning at noon today, to educate and spread awareness about the Holocaust.

Those who come out to the event will have the opportunity to hear Holocaust survivors speak and to paint a ceramic butterfly for the Butterfly Project in memory of the children who were killed during the Holocaust.

Hanna Port, a senior studying business management and Judaic studies and co-chair for the Holocaust Vigil, said she thinks the most important part of hosting the 24th annual vigil at the UA is creating awareness.

“This is something that happened close to 70 years ago, and a lot of people believe that it never happened to begin with,” Port said. “It’s Hillel’s opportunity to show the campus that the Holocaust did happen and was something that affected millions and millions of lives.”

Amalia Mark, director of Jewish Student Life, said the immersive nature of this event is what makes the experience unique.

“Having pods out on the [UA] Mall for 24 hours that students can walk into and feel what life was like in Europe before the war,” Mark said, “and the tiny space of being in a cattle car is a really moving and intense experience. Hearing names of [people] who perished in the Holocaust being read for 24 hours straight also heavily contributes to the intensity and full-bodied educational experience of the event.”

Port said that she and her co-chair have been working to bring awareness about the Holocaust to various groups on campus.

“I reached out to the business fraternities who were not involved last year, and we’ve reached out to community service fraternities,” Port said. “Every year, we reach out to different groups so that people get involved.”

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