Andy Sarkany
OXFORD — The Chabad Jewish Center of Oxford, in collaboration with Oxford Public Schools, hosted an event titled “Hope and Kindness in Spite of Hate” to remember, educate, and promote a culture of kindness within the community. The event featured Holocaust survivor Mr. Andy Sarkany, who shared his personal story of survival through that dark period of history.
The audience gathered at the Oxford High School on Wednesday, Jan. 10th to hear the profound messages of hope and a first hand account from a survivor who lived through those times. Recounting the Nazi’s relationship with Hungry where Mr. Sarkany was born, Mr. Sarkany told over the context of the childhood he grew up in. Continuing on to his personal life and how his father was taken away to Mauthausen concentration camp, Mr. Sarkany described the life he lived in the Budapest ghetto and how he eventually was lucky enough to survive the war.
Dr. Robert Miller, superintendent of Oxford Public Schools, shared his thoughts on the evening. “I was very impressed and thankful that Mr. Sarkany was able to speak to our students and the community. His talk had powerful lessons, and I walked away with the importance of never being a bystander and never tolerating hate. Each year, fewer survivors are left to tell their stories, and it is incumbent on us to learn the stories of what happened and retell them to our children so that they can pass them on to their own children. It is our collective responsibility to make sure the stories of the Holocaust are never forgotten so that history is not repeated. I want to thank Mr. Sarkany for his time and for sharing his personal journey with us. He is an amazing man, and our community learned much from what he shared with us.”
The event aimed not only to reflect on the past but to translate the lessons learned into practical actions for the present and future. To that end, the Chabad Jewish Center introduced the Acts of Random Kindness (ARK) Initiative during the event. This initiative encourages community members to perform daily acts of kindness, symbolized by a small ARK box provided to each attendee. The box serves as a reminder to engage in repetitive acts of kindness whether it is putting away spare change in the box for someone else, sharing a smile, or lending a helping hand. These actions have the ability to influence behaviors and by doing so create “agents of kindness”.
Rabbi Shmaya Hecht, co-director of Chabad Jewish Center of Oxford, emphasized the significance of the ARK Initiative as a practical embodiment of the evening’s messages. He noted that by committing to daily acts of kindness, individuals can cultivate a mindset and habits that contribute to a kinder and more generous community. “Our collective efforts, no matter how small, have the power to shape our communities and foster a culture where kindness and understanding are a way of life,” said Rabbi Shmaya Hecht.
For further information about the ARK Initiative or to receive an ARK, please visit www.cjcoxford.org/ark.
