On Tuesday, January 27, New York Medical College (NYMC), a member of Touro University, illuminated its campus in yellow to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, joining New York State’s Yellow Lights initiative. The lighting ceremony was accompanied by a public event led by NYMC leaders entitled, The Reluctant Accomplice: An International Holocaust Remembrance Day Event, examining how ordinary individuals become complicit in mass violence – and the urgent relevance of those lessons today, in particular at a higher education institution. The event brought more than 275 attendees—in person and via Zoom—to honor the memory of six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution.
At the event, Westchester County Executive, Ken Jenkins, offered remarks. Edward C. Halperin, M.D., M.A., chancellor and chief executive officer, NYMC, interviewed renowned historian Konrad H. Jarausch, editor of Reluctant Accomplice, a collection of his father’s wartime letters from the Eastern Front during World War II. During the conversation, Dr. Halperin and Jarausch explored how these historical experiences illuminate the psychological and social dynamics that can lead otherwise law-abiding citizens to become complicit in acts of mass violence. Psychiatrist Stephen J. Ferrando, M.D., chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Edith Har Esh Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at NYMC, also provided a medical and psychological perspective, examining how social pressure, moral erosion, and dehumanization can transform ordinary people into what he describes as “reluctant accomplices.”
“Holocaust remembrance is not only a historical obligation – it is a moral and professional responsibility,” said Dr. Halperin. “For institutions dedicated to medicine, science, and education, understanding the consequences of silence and dehumanization is essential to ethical leadership and patient care.”
“As the largest university under Jewish auspices in the country, Touro University has a role to play in educating the next generation of leaders about how to root out antisemitism in their communities,” said Alan Kadish, M.D., president of NYMC and Touro University. “The simple act of illuminating our campuses and raising awareness of the day is part of a larger effort to help educate the communities we’re in about the importance of standing up for what’s right.”
Yellow, the international color of Holocaust remembrance, provides a powerful visual symbol of reflection. By illuminating its campus, NYMC brings this statewide act of commemoration to the Hudson Valley, connecting both students and the region to observances across New York and around the world.
Since the initiative was launched in 2022, major New York landmarks, including the Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, Niagara Falls, Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station, airport terminals, and prominent bridges, have participated in lighting up yellow. While landmark participation varies year-to-year, NYMC’s involvement underscores the role academic institutions play in remembrance, education, and confronting hate.
As antisemitism and hate crimes continue to rise globally, NYMC’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day event seeks to educate students and the community about the perils of silence and the role higher education and society writ large have to play in ensuring it never happens again.
