Salem, Mass. - Salem State College will host the premier public screening of Present Memories, Six Survivors of the Holocaust, on Saturday, March 22 in the college's Ellison Campus Center. The Holocaust Center and the Graduate School of Salem State College are sponsoring this event.

There will be a reception at 6:45 PM prior to the 8:00 PM screening, which will be held in Veteran's Hall. Following the video, viewers will have the opportunity to discuss the video during a panel session with the survivors and graduate faculty of Salem State College.

Present Memories is an original educational video (55 minutes) that retells the history of the Holocaust through the eyes of six local survivors. Each focuses on one specific period of their years under the Nazis. The video takes the viewer through the Holocaust from the pre war years to the end of WWII to freedom. As the survivors speak, pictures and images of their stories are shown.

According to Chris Mauriello, graduate faculty in the History Department and one of the organizers of the screening, "It's a unique opportunity to hear and see history through the eyes of those who lived through the horrendous experience of the Holocaust." Mauriello, who is teaching a graduate seminar on the Holocaust this summer at Salem State, adds "for most people, actually meeting and talking to the survivors adds a layer of understanding to the Holocaust not available through books or documentaries alone."

For further information about the March 22nd event or to purchase the video please contact the Holocaust Center at (978) 531-8288.

The Holocaust Center, Boston North, is affiliated with the Center for the Study of Human Rights at the Peabody Institute Library, 82 Main St., Peabody, MA. For further information about this event or to purchase the video please call The Holocaust Center at (978) 531-8288.