The Community Foundation is proud to be collaborating with Vision Together 2025, the Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance, and the Arts Coalition of the Alleghenies on Hope Springs Eternal: The Holocaust Project. This project, funded through CFA’s Blanche Beerman Holocaust Museum Fund, is an effort between local community and arts organizations to provide an inspirational and educational experience about the Holocaust to our community.
“There are many people, particularly young people, that are not learning about the Holocaust anymore,” said Rebecca Catelinet, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance. “Many survivors have passed on and can no longer tell their stories about the Holocaust. We need to be sure that people learn and understand what took place.”
Using theater, art, and music, Hope Springs Eternal: The Holocaust Project aims to educate people in our community about the tragic events that occurred during the Holocaust in a creative way, while also promoting a message of hope and resiliency.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of ‘community’ and how we foster growth through community arts opportunities like this,” said Courtney Edmundson, Marketing Director for the Hope Springs Eternal Project. “Art and theater in particular can affect how people learn about things and can affect change in society. I think that having these unique ways of offering education has the potential to have a positive impact on our area.”
One of the upcoming educational experiences is a community production of Fiddler on the Roof, which will be performed at the Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center in November. Auditions for Fiddler on the Roof will be held at Columba Theatre Project, located at 916 Broad Street in Johnstown, on August 18 and 19. Directors will be casting approximately eight children, ages 8 to 14, and 35 adults over the age of 15. Anyone interested in being a part of the production, regardless of experience, is encouraged to audition.
In addition to Fiddler on the Roof, other upcoming events will include art exhibits, book readings, and music performances that tell stories about the Holocaust and other significant events related to the persecution of Jews. For more information on upcoming events and audition details, visit the Hope Springs Eternal: The Holocaust Project website and follow them on Facebook.
