Memorial honors Holocaust victims

The Spokane Community Holocaust Memorial, which was dedicated Thursday evening, honors not just the 6 million Jews killed in Nazi concentration camps, but those who lived.

“It was important to remember that there are survivors and families of victims in Spokane,” said Pam Silverstein, who led the committee that worked for the memorial. “It wasn’t just an event that affected Jews that live elsewhere.”

More than 200 people attended the dedication of the sculpture, which is next to Temple Beth Shalom, 1322 E. 30th Ave.

Silverstein said the committee worked about five years on the project and raised about $50,000 to create the memorial.

The sculptor, Simon Kogan, said the work remembers those who died and celebrates the endurance and strength of those who survived. It is meant to be interactive, and will mean different things to different people, Kogan said.

The bronze sculpture is about 9 feet tall and has all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet to represent the people killed – victims who may not have had friends or family left to remember them. There are also sets of a child’s and an adult’s handprints that will attract people to press their hands against the prints and lean on the work, Kogan said.

“Then you become one with the sculpture,” said Kogan, who lives in Olympia.

After the dedication, the crowd moved into the temple for a Holocaust remembrance service.

Among those in attendance at the dedication and service were four Holocaust survivors, including Eva Lassman, who moved to Spokane a few years after being librated and who was a driving force behind the memorial.

“It will stand as a beacon against hate so that future generations will have the opportunity to live in peace,” Lassman said.

Newport man injured in highway accident

Priest River, Idaho A Newport, Wash., man was listed in critical condition at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane on Thursday evening following a near head-on collision north of here.

Timothy J. Davis, 23, of Newport, was driving north on State Highway 57 about 13 miles north of Priest River about 7:30 a.m. when he crossed the centerline and sideswiped a Ford truck heading south, according to the Idaho State Police.

Davis was taken by ambulance to Priest River Airport, where he was airlifted to Sacred Heart Medical Center.

Driving the Ford pickup was Brian L. Ackerman, 29, of Elk, Wash. The ISP did not report that Ackerman had any injuries.

Nez Perce to elect leaders Saturday

Kamiah, Idaho Five of nine seats on the Nez Perce Tribe’s governing body are up for election Saturday.

Normally, only three seats on the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee are open at one time.

Three executive committee members – Chairman Anthony D. Johnson, Vice Chairman Allen P. Slickpoo Jr. and Wilfred A. Scott – are at the end of their terms.

Two other seats were vacated early last year when Jerrid T. Weaskus resigned and Levi Holt was removed for alleged gross negligence. Gary Greene and Randall Minthorn have been filling in for them.

The incumbents and as many as 25 others are expected to seek election, tribal officials said.

St. Helens observatory will reopen today

Mount St. Helens, Wash. The Johnston Ridge Observatory, located just five miles from this volcano’s shattered crater, was scheduled to reopen today for the first time since October.

The observatory has been closed since Oct. 2 when the mountain’s latest dome-building eruption began.

“We expect people and satellite trucks will be lined up to get in when we open the gate,” said Tom Knappenberger, spokesman for the Mount St. Helens National Monument.

The gates blocking the last few miles of State Route 504 were scheduled to reopen at 7 a.m. with the observatory opening at 10 a.m.

The observatory is expected to remain open until Oct. 30.