A month of peace, remembrance and hope

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In September, the Artists Cooperative Gallery of Westerly (ACGOW), 14 Railroad Ave.,  will celebrate peace, and honor those who experienced World War II, under the banner of “Peace, Remembrance, Hope.”

A special afternoon of remembrance is planned for Sept. 15, from 1-5 p.m.  Alice Eichenbaum, a survivor of the Holocaust, will recount her story as well as that of her husband, Ray. The afternoon will also feature live music and a poetry reading.

The public is invited to memorialize loved ones on a Tree of Life; Congregation Sharah Zedek will supply refreshments. The day will conclude with a special menorah lighting, and Rabbi Ethan Adler will recite Kaddish in memory of the 80 million lives lost worldwide during the war. “Peace, Remembrance, Hope” is free and open to the public.

September marks the 80th anniversary of the start of WWII. ACGOW invites the public to participate in making peace cranes and peace flags on Sept. 1 and Sept. 21 (the International Day of Peace), from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

 There is a Japanese tradition that says that a person who folds 1,000 origami cranes will have their wish granted.Visitors’ peace cranes will become an installation exhibit in ACGOW’s gallery, reflecting a wish for world peace; peace flags are related to the 2,000-year-old Tibetan prayer flag tradition.

Supplies and instructions for making peace cranes and flags will be available for participants to take home; these workshops are free and open to the public.

The gallery will host a special peace-themed show, with works created specifically for the month’s events. All are invited to visit the Gallery between Sept. 4 and 15 and vote for their favorite piece. 

Visitors are also invited to walk the gallery’s Path of Peace labyrinth, which is modeled after the ancient labyrinth in Chartres, France.

Submitted by the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center

SBHEC, Westerly,