Mirror - Vol. 23, No. 03 - October 02, 1997

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FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY
IRROR
Volume 23 Number 3 The Image of Fairfield
Holocaust survivor shares his experiences
Jen Salt!
Staff Writer
Holocaust survivor Zev
Kedem shared his personal
hardships, struggles, and tri-umphs
with the Fairfield Uni-versity
community on Sept. 29
at the Quick Center as part of
the Open Visions lecture se-ries.
Kedem recalled memories
ofhis childhood during the Nazi
regime. According to Kedem,
his nightmare began Septem-ber
1, 1939 when his mother
fled from the Nazis with her
children to the town ofKrakow.
Kedem's mother feared the
Nazi soldiers that were invad-ing
their neighborhood. Reluc-tantly
in 1942, Kedem's mother
put him on a truck heading for
a concentration camp in
Plaszow. She believed eight
year old Kedem would be safer
in a camp than in their small
village that was pending inva-sion
by German soldiers.
Kedem's nightmare contin-ued
as he first entered the con-centration
camp. He witnessed
people being herded into the
camp, stripped of their clothes,
shaved and forced to march
across the camp. According to
Kedem, these actions showed
him that the German soldiers
were undoubtedly in control.
Kedem recalled feeling
trapped and wanting to be invis-ible
his first night at Plaszow.
"Once you arrive the dehuman-ization
process begins," he said.
"Your name is gone, now you
are just a number."
He explained that the Nazi's
goal was to increase the level of
productivity of the people in the
concentration camp through
fear. As a young child, Kedem
had to reassure the German sol-diers
of his worthiness. "[I do]
more work, and yes, I am little,
but I eat less, and am a more
productive human being,"
Kedem remembered telling a
Nazi soldier.
Kedem remained in the con-centration
camp in Plaszow for
several years until he heard about
Schindler's list. He applauded
Shindler for his dedication to
those trapped in the concentra-tion
camps. "He tried to protect
them in some way," he said,
"even through bribery and cor-ruption."
Kedem's adoptive father se-cured
a place for himself and
Kedem on Shindler's list. "We
had been saved," said Kedem.
"There was finally a sense of
relief."
Yet, his journey to freedom
was far from over. Kedem was
sent to Auschwitz where he en-dured
a death march and re-ceived
his permanent tattoo con-centration
number. After
struggles in Auschwitz, Kedem
was finally freed in 1945 after
spending three years in concen-tration
camps.
Kedem fled to London where
he received a degree in engi-neering
from Oxford University.
For a long time, he suppressed
his terrible memories of the
Holocaust. "The perception was
such a terrible experience that I
couldn't relate this to anyone,
not even to my own children
who I love," he said.
He began to speak about the
photo: Public Relations
Holocaust when he returned to
the concentration camps years
later. All of the painful memo-ries
came back to Kedem and his
50 years of silence was over.
Kedem recently became a suc-cessful
producer of documenta-ries
such as, "Only in Jerusa-lem"
and "The Jerusalem Quar-tet".
In 1994, Steven Spielberg
contacted Kedem requesting him
to attend and assist in the film-ing
of Shindler's List. Kedem"
accepted Spielberg's invitation
and since then has traveled the
world speaking about the Holo-caust.
Homecoming plans made for campus and beach
Maura Parsons
New Editor
Homecoming Weekend
kicks off on Friday Oct. 3 with
a slew of campus activities for
Fairfield students and alumni.
However, FUSA and the
Fairfield Police Department are
taking precautions for the un-official
Homecoming festivi-ties
that are expected to take
place at the beach.
The campus activities be-gin
on Friday, Oct. 3 at 9 p.m.
with a pep rally on Alumni
Field. Immediately following
the pep rally, fireworks will be
launched over Campion Field.
Both the pep rally and the fire-works
display are sponsored
by FUSA.
Homecoming festivities
continue on Saturday with an
afternoon football game. The
Fairfield Stags will take on the
Central Connecticut Blue Dev-ils
at 1 p.m. on Alumni Field.
Homecoming weekend con-cludes
on Sunday with the an-nual
FUSA Beach Cleanup at
2:30 p.m. at the point.
Off campus preparations
have been made for the large
number of students and alumni
expected to gather at the beach
for weekend parties. According
to FUSA president Chris
Cipriano, an increased police
presence is expected. Unlike
last year, the Fairfield Police De-partment
has not released plans
to install a mobile police com-mand
unit on Fairfield Beach
Road.
"We urge students to be con-scientious
and careful at the
beach this weekend," said
Cipriano. "The police are there
for the protection of the stu-dents,
alumni, and town resi-dents."
FUSA will also offer Safe
Rides from the beach to campus
from 11 p.m. until 2:30 a.m. on
Friday and Saturday. Volun-teers
will transport students back
to campus in two university vans.
Homecoming 1997
Festivities
Homecoming
weekend will officially kick
off for students on Friday
night with a pep rally. The
FUSA sponsored pep rally
will start at 9 p.m. on Alumni
Field. A fireworks display
over Campion Field will
immediately follow the pep
rally.
At 1 p.m. Saturday,
the Fairfield Stags Football
team take on the Central Con-necticut
Blue Devils on
Alumni Field.
Homecoming week-end
concludes on Sunday with
the annual FUSA Beach
cleanup at 2:30 p.m. at the
point.
Thursday, October 2, 1997
Inside
this week
Gonzaga Deli
gone belly up
Find out why and what
options are leftfor
students, see page 4.
If you want to
be a wiener.....
Oscar Meyer has your
internship or post
graduation plans, see
page 6.
Walk it Off
Join thousands of
Americans who are
walking and eating well,,
see page 8.
Umanksy meets
the Pope
She had the privilege of
being personally
presented to Pope John
Paul II, see page 11.
What is F.U.
thinking?
Responses to Campus
Concerns,our new col-umn,
see pages 10 & 11.
Opium for
everyone
Check out where to go
for a goodfix, see page
15.
Surf the
Internet
Find out a new way to
the fast track, see
page 17.
Men's soccer
shuts out
MAAC foes
Team blanks Canisius
and Niagara, seepage
18.