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The organizers of a free concert honoring the victims of the Holocaust hope the event offers a counterpoint to the current climate of disrespect and hate mongering.

One way to reach out to others is through the universal language of music. In order to teach understanding and acceptance plus remember the Holocaust, Mount Zion Congregation and Curious Music Collective will host Violins of Hope Sioux Falls: Never Forget Hope, on June 6.

The performance will feature stringed instruments that belonged to Holocaust victims. They will be played by professional musicians along with a soprano. The event also features poetry, storytelling and a post-concert discussion.

During World War II and before, when Jews were rounded up for deportation to the death camps in Europe, they were only allowed to take a few possessions, says Jacob Forstein, president of Mount Zion Congregation in Sioux Falls.

Many chose to take their musical instruments.

Music became a fundamental part of camp life. “There were over 500 orchestras and musical ensembles formed during the Nazi regime,” says Yi-Chun Lin, executive and artistic director of Curious Music Collective.

“They exploited the talents of Jewish people and the power of music during the camps, including having orchestras play at the gates of the camps when people were sent there. Musicians were forced to perform at various occasions including executions. Music was not only a survival tool, but it also brought people moments of peace, calm, and humanity.”

They also performed for the guards’ private entertainment.

Various camps also used music from radio broadcasts or record players during executions to drown out the sound, and they played during the selection process to deceive new arrivals into thinking they were not facing immediate death, according to the Music and the Holocaust website.

As a result, camp musicians received some “privileges” such as lighter work assignments, better clothing or a bit more food, and their status protected them from arbitrary acts of violence. But those benefits fostered an unhealthy dependence on guards and served to divide the musicians from the average camp inmate.

Dozens of their instruments were eventually recovered and restored. They are now used in symphonies and performances around the world.

For the first time ever 12 of those instruments are coming to Sioux Falls to be played in a concert led by Yi-Chun Lin. She put together the concert program and all the music-related activities, including the musicians, poets, a singer and local violin students.

These sacred instruments were witnesses to humanity’s darkest hours, says Forstein. This concert is a way to honor the memory of the Holocaust and promote education, unity and flexibility through the universal power of music.

Our past can impact our future, Forstein says.

“Six million Jews and countless others perished in the Holocaust,” he said. “It’s important to help educate what hate can do.”

The instruments are ambassadors to ensure we never forget and realize how the aftermath continues to affect our society even today, say concert backers.

“The hope is that we don’t repeat our past,” says Zechariah Van Harris III, vice president of Mount Zion Congregation.

The negative history regarding the Jews in World War II “can apply to black Americans and Native Americans as well,” he says.

“These are mass murder events. It’s our responsibility to not allow these things to happen again, says Van Harris.

The program has added significance for him; “I’m a black Jew,” he says.

“Not only do I have a target on my back because I’m black, but I also have a target because I’m a Jew and feel forced to explain that.”

The free program includes music by Jewish composers influenced by memory, exile, resilience and loss. In addition, there will be a soprano and original poetry readings by Lawrence Diggs and Xavier Pastano to confront hate and division and foster hope for the future.

We are connected through the generations by this catastrophic event.

The student performers are the torch bearers of hope and light, says Dr. Yi-Chun Lin.

“We hope they will continue using their musical or artistic voices to bring out the best in other humans.”

“The music in this program carries both heaviness and hope,” she says. “The instruments that survived and are played in this program embody the spirit of human resilience and hope that will continue to bring forward the light in the dark of this world.”

If You’re Going

Violins of Hope: Sioux Falls

Saturday, June 6, 2026; 7:00 p.m.

Concert, followed by Post-Concert Discussion and Q&A at Hamre Recital Hall, Fryxell Humanities Center, Augustana University 2120 S. Grange Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57197

Free event though free-will donations will be accepted;

All are welcome however seating is limited

For more information:

https://www.sfcmcollective.com/

Hosted locally by Mt. Zion Congregation and Curious Music Collective.

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Free books, stories and smiles are headed to communities across South Dakota.

St. Joseph’s Indian School in Chamberlain is launching its sixth annual bookmobile tour later this month, bringing free reading materials to dozens of towns while promoting literacy and Native American authors.

The effort, organized by the school’s Alumni Relations department, will make more than 40 stops across the state through July 1, beginning in Jackson County.

The traveling bookmobile provides books for readers of all ages and interests, with events open to the public at no cost.

“Access to books can make a lasting difference in a child’s life,” said Andy Lepkowski, who heads St. Joseph’s Indian School Alumni Relations division, which organizes the annual trek across South Dakota that last year logged more than 3,000 miles on the Bookmobile’s odometer. “By bringing the Bookmobile directly into communities, we’re helping remove barriers and making reading something that’s exciting and accessible for everyone.”

During the 2025 tour, the program distributed 22,610 books statewide.

This year’s schedule includes stops in communities across western, central and eastern South Dakota, including Pine Ridge, Eagle Butte, Sioux Falls, Mitchell, Aberdeen, Watertown, Mission and Rapid City.

The tour begins May 26 with stops in Wanblee, Potato Creek and Kyle. Additional visits are planned throughout June, including Sioux Falls and Mitchell on June 10, Aberdeen on June 18 and Rapid City on June 30 and July 1.

All bookmobile events are free and open to the public, with books distributed while supplies last.

Bookmobile tour schedule

May 26 (Tuesday)
Wanblee — 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Cap Building lot in housing
Potato Creek — 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., playground area
Kyle — 3 to 5 p.m., Senior Citizens Center by school

May 27 (Wednesday)
Porcupine — 10 a.m. to noon, entrance of housing
Manderson — 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., school parking lot
Oglala — 3:15 to 5 p.m., Boys & Girls Club lot off main road

May 28 (Thursday)
Pine Ridge — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Catholic church parking lot

June 2 (Tuesday)
Cherry Creek — 10 to 11 a.m., post office area
Eagle Butte — 11:45 a.m. to 3 p.m., side street by the library
Dupree — 3:30 to 5 p.m., YMCA side street

June 3 (Wednesday)
Timber Lake — 10 to 11:30 a.m., Main Street by the library
Little Eagle — 12:15 to 2 p.m., side street by the post office
Bullhead — 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., side street by the school
McLaughlin — 4 to 5 p.m., side street by the city park

June 4 (Thursday)
Yates — 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., state building parking lot, Buffalo Avenue
Kenel — 1:15 to 2 p.m., side street by the community center
Wakpala — 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., community center parking lot

June 9 (Tuesday)
Marty — 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., school parking lot
Wagner — 1 to 5 p.m., IHS parking lot

June 10 (Wednesday)
Sioux Falls — 10:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., Terry Redlin Elementary lot
Mitchell — 2:30 to 5 p.m., swimming pool parking lot

June 11 (Thursday)
Fort Thompson — 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., casino parking lot

June 12 (Friday)
Lower Brule — 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Buches store parking lot
Lower Brule — 1 to 4:30 p.m., St. Mary’s Church parking lot

June 16 (Tuesday)
Flandreau — 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Flandreau Middle School
Watertown — 3 to 5 p.m., McKinney Park side street lot

June 17 (Wednesday)
Sisseton — 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Teals Market parking lot
Dakota Sioux Casino — 4 to 7 p.m., in front of the casino

June 18 (Thursday)
Aberdeen — 10 to 11:30 a.m., Roncalli Primary School front entrance (1st Ave. NE and Arch Street)
Aberdeen — noon to 3 p.m., Hobby Lobby parking lot (4th Street and Roosevelt Street)

June 23 (Tuesday)
Winner — 10 to 11:30 a.m., Ace Hardware parking lot
O’Kreek — noon to 1:30 p.m., community center lot
Mission — 2 to 6 p.m., Boys & Girls Club

June 24 (Wednesday)
Francis — 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., school parking lot
Rosebud — 1 to 4 p.m., All Stop gas station lot

June 25 (Thursday)
Parmelee — 10 a.m. to noon, community center lot
Martin — 1 to 2:30 p.m., CAP Building lot
Allen — 3 to 4 p.m., community center area

June 30 (Tuesday)
Rapid City — 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., location to be determined
Rapid City — 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., Beadle School front parking lot

July 1 (Wednesday)
Rapid City — 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Lakota Community Housing (North Housing Office parking lot)

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A West River judge is stepping away from the bench in hopes of being South Dakota’s top prosecutor and law enforcement officer.

And with Fourth Circuit Court Judge John Fitzgerald’s resignation and declared candidacy for the South Dakota attorney general post, the field of Republicans looking to succeed outgoing Attorney General Marty Jackley has widened to three.

“Serving as a Circuit Judge has been an honor and has given me an even deeper appreciation for the rule of law, the Bill of Rights, and the importance of equal justice,” Fitzgerald said in a campaign announcement Tuesday touting his experience as both a judge and prosecutor. “I believe my judgment, courtroom experience, and knowledge as a lawyer have prepared me to lead the fight against crime in our state, especially violent crime.”

Prior to his election to the bench in 2022, Fitzgerald spent more than four decades as a state’s attorney in Butte and Lawrence counties. His wife, Mary, is a state legislator, serving in the state House as a representative of South Dakota’s 31st Legislative District.

Fitzgerald joins two others openly seeking the GOP nomination for attorney general, to be decided by party delegates at the South Dakota Republican Party Convention in late June.

McPherson County State’s Attorney Austin Hoffman, a Eureka native, declared his candidacy for the GOP nomination for attorney general last fall. Prior to becoming his home county’s top prosecutor in 2020, Hoffman operated a private law practice in northeast South Dakota. He is the son of former lawmaker Charlie Hoffman.

Also looking to curry favor with party delegates ahead of the June 25-27 state convention in Rapid City is Lance Russell, the Fall River and Oglala Lakota County state’s attorney who became the first candidate to enter the contest last summer. Russell served more than a decade in the state Legislature with tenures in both the state House and Senate.

The longtime prosecutor’s July 1 announcement came just days after Jackley announced he’d forgo another term as attorney general and instead make a run for U.S. House of Representatives.

Because the South Dakota Republican Party selects its nominees for attorney general after primary contests for governor and U.S. House are decided at the polls, candidates unable to claim victory in those races can still seek constitutional office nominations from party delegates at convention.

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The frontrunner for South Dakota’s Republican nomination for governor said his plan to improve student performance will not include mandatory public preschool, as differing ideas about education highlighted the candidates’ third and final scheduled debate.

The televised event was staged Monday evening at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls. Moderators from Sioux Falls Live and The Dakota Scout asked the candidates how they would improve the state’s 52 percent student proficiency rate in English language arts and 44 percent in math.

U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, who has led in every publicly released poll so far, pointed to Mississippi’s recent education gains as a model, saying the state went “from 49th in reading to ninth.”

“The only difference is that Mississippi has a visionary governor in Tate Reeves, who went all-in on saying that our kids are going to read,” Johnson said. “And when I’m governor, that’s what I’ll do.”

Mississippi’s efforts have included state-funded preschool. Moderator Patrick Lalley asked Johnson, “Are you willing to say it’s time for South Dakota to have pre-K available in every school district in the state of South Dakota?”

“We’re not going to have mandatory pre-K in this state,” Johnson said, adding that South Dakota could address early childhood learning through partnerships with schools, businesses and nonprofits.

Lalley pressed Johnson again, saying Mississippi officials “talk about the vital role that mandatory pre-K played in turning around those test scores. How can you say you’re going to do that plan but not spend that money?”

Johnson said “we don’t have to take all of that lock, stock and barrel.”

“That would be kind of a lazy approach for a governor to just say ‘whatever they did, we’re going to do,’” Johnson said. “Instead, we’re going to look at what is evidence-based, what is consistent with South Dakota values, what can we budget for and make sure that we can deliver, and let’s together come up with a roadmap.”

South Dakota is one of five states without state-funded preschool, according to a recent report from the National Institute for Early Education Research.

State House Speaker Jon Hansen said the state needs to “put parents back in the driver’s seat” by helping children to attend the school of their family’s choice.

“Whether that’s in public school, or whether that’s non-public school, or homeschool, I’ve been a supporter of scholarships for families, so that they can choose the best education option for their family,” Hansen said.

Asked if the scholarships would be funded by taxpayer money, Hansen said, “correct.”

Businessman Toby Doeden said South Dakota’s K-12 budget has grown, but not enough of the money has gone to classrooms, rural schools, new curriculum or teachers. He said too much has gone to education lobbyists and bureaucrats.

“The fact that half of our grade school students can’t read and write on grade level tells me that we have a serious issue,” Doeden said.

He pledged to create a Department of Government Efficiency that would conduct a statewide audit, including of education, and “make sure the money is going to the people and places that need it the most.”

Gov. Larry Rhoden said he has confidence in his Education Secretary Joe Graves to improve student proficiency. Rhoden said his administration is working to restore phonics-based reading instruction.

“We’ve changed our curriculum already. We are getting rid of Common Core math,” Rhoden said, referencing a past education initiative supported by the Obama administration, “and we’re moving to common sense.”

The primary election is June 2, and early voting is underway. The top vote-getter in the Republican primary for governor needs 35 percent support to avoid a top-two runoff. The winner advances to the Nov. 3 general election, in which the only other candidate for governor so far is Dan Ahlers, a Democrat who is unopposed for his party’s nomination.

Content courtesy of South Dakota Searchlight.

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Chris Lawrence knows a thing or two about cancer.

His mother died of glioblastoma (a type of brain cancer) last May.

His father was diagnosed the same year with stage four colon cancer and Chris, himself, was diagnosed with stage four ductal cancer when he was 37 years old and a new father.

“I understand how challenging cancer can be. This month is the 10-year anniversary of when I was diagnosed.” says Lawrence, the founder and executive director of Hope Has Arrived - a nonprofit ministry started in 2018 as a direct result of his cancer fueled battle.

“Cancer has cut a deep wound in our hearts,” says Craig Lawrence – Chris’s dad. He and his wife of 56 years endured treatments and side effects of chemo together.

Cancer has had a profound impact on the family.

“It’s made me more grateful for the time I have, especially to be there for my wife and my kids and extended family, but it has also motivated me to want to help others find hope” says Chris.

Lawrence, a Sioux Falls native, will give a presentation on navigating the fears of cancer May 8 at a free luncheon.

Hope is the key to navigating the cancer journey, he says.

His father agrees.

“As a human being, knowing all that I have learned and all that I have endured, how can I stand by and do nothing for the suffering?” says Craig Lawrence, who helped set up the ministry.

“When I’m at the cancer center, I look at the faces – no one wants to be in that building.”

Providing emotional tools for those tormented by cancer and its treatments is the basic premise of Hope Has Arrived.

Offering support through stories and suggestions from folks who have been there helps define a path through the suffering.

Hope is not just optimism.

Spiritually, hope is a confident expectation and assurance in God’s promises, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Hope is also different than faith, which is defined as a deep confidence in a person, concept or divine entity. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Faith is taking the first step when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

Cancer removes the staircase.

Many individuals have been touched by cancer, yet it’s not always a death sentence.

Scientific breakthroughs have saved 18.6 million people in the United States, which is a bit more than 5 percent of our population, according to the American Cancer Society.

Talking about cancer is difficult for most families. The best thing a friend or relative can do for a newly diagnosed cancer patient is to be a good listener, says Charlie DeRidder, retired chaplain of the VA hospice and care team and board member of Hope has Arrived.

That means listening without judgement or trying to fix things.

“Listen without an agenda,” he says.

“People want to know how much you care and if you are willing to listen to them. They want someone to walk with them through the mess,” DeRidder says.

A cancer diagnosis upends your whole world. “Everything is reprioritized.”

“You recalibrate all your energy and become aware of your mortality,” he says.

Facing fears, loss and disappointments, patients often seek a relationship with a higher power. Hope Has Arrived helps uplift cancer victims through prayer, and a realization that others have faced similar circumstances.

Hope can sustain you through treatments and pain, says DeRidder. However, if the treatment is ineffective, it’s important for the patient to realize what’s ahead, he says.

The sufferer must make peace with dying.

“There are four things for the afflicted to say,” says DeRidder. They are:

1. Please forgive me.

2. I forgive you.

3. I love you.

4. Goodbye.

All are difficult to say but the stories, tips and advice found on the hopeagainstcancer.org website can be useful to victims and their families to start a conversation.

It’s a place to share your history, gain strength and find peace, DeRidder says.

The narratives are “pointing others with thoughtful care and guidance. They will inform you about the emotions and reactions you’ll have.”

It helps you realize, “you may face a cancer diagnosis, but it can be faced.”

To attend the presentation:

Cancer survivor Chris Lawrence will talk about fighting the fear of what’s ahead at a free luncheon at the Country Club of Sioux Falls, 3400 W. 22nd St. Sioux Falls.

Friday, May 8 from 11:45-1:15 p.m.

Presented by the Cru City Ministry of Sioux Falls and by Hope Has Arrived, a global, non-profit ministry registered in Sioux Falls.

RSVP to david.larson@cru.org

For more information about Hope Has Arrived go to hopeagainstcancer.org

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