Nashville’s Holocaust Memorial is offering five docent-led tours from April 18 – April 23.

For the first time in its sixteen-year history, the Nashville Holocaust Memorial is offering five docent-led tours of the site beginning with Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, on the 27th of Nisan, falling on April 18th this year, and ending with Nashville’s community-wide Commemoration Service on Sunday, April 23rd.

In preparation for Vanderbilt’s Alternative Spring Break working with Holocaust Survivors in Chicago, student co-leaders Jacob Smith and Angela Yan scheduled a tour in early March of the Memorial, located on the grounds of the Gordon Jewish Community Center in Bellevue. They and six other students with diverse backgrounds were led by Delilah Cohn. Jacob sent this appreciation while the group was in route to their Alternative Spring break:

“Stepping out of our Uber at the JCC, we weren’t quite sure what to expect. Delilah’s warm smile at the entrance to the Memorial trail assured us we were in good hands. The path itself was quite beautiful and moving. The art and pre-recorded narration provided a somber foundation for our learning. Delilah graciously recounted her high schooler father’s escape following the reporting of his anti-Nazi political cartoons to the Gestapo. Her deep, personal account of the events that were summarized at a high level by the recordings created a well-rounded and emotional understanding of the Holocaust that will empower us to better serve Chicago Survivors.

The culmination of our tour was the Memorial Plaza. After taking a moment to fully absorb the powerful torn book sculpture, we took time to independently read through the names engraved on the stone pillars behind it. Although this moment of reflection marked the conclusion of the tour itself, it was not the end of our visit. We spent about half an hour relating the themes of othering and dehumanization that resulted in the Holocaust to contemporary and personal contexts. Delilah encouraged our entire group to participate and engage in ways our education curriculum had never come close to, and it was truly incredible to participate.

We’re all very grateful for the thoughtfulness of our tour guide and the people who created Nashville’s Holocaust Memorial. Our time there was truly a moving experience, and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone.”

Tour schedule: Tuesday 4/18, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm with Marsha Raimi; Friday 4/21, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm with Debra Carmichael; Saturday 4/22, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm with Marisa Mayhan; Sunday 4/23 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm with Delilah Cohn, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Commemoration

Service inside JCC, 3:00 – 4:00 pm with Marsha Raimi. Registration preferred. Email NashvilleHolocaustMemorial@gmail.com.