Perhaps no image shocked the world more than the September 2, 2015 image of two-year-old Alan Kurdi’s body washed ashore in Turkey. The image brought the issue of refugees and immigrants in focus on the global stage.  The Kurdi family were Syrian refugees fleeing violence who sought refugee status in Europe.

Tima Kurdi, Alan’s aunt, delivered a poignant and moving talk about her family’s fate earlier this month in an event sponsored by the Center for Holocaust, Human Rights & Genocide Education (Chhange). Following her address, Ms. Kurdi discussed and signed copies of her book, The Boy on the Beach.

In its review, The Washington Post called The Boy on the Beach “…an impassioned plea for the rights of refugees through the heartbreaking account of one family’s unimaginable loss… This is an accomplished and searing political memoir — one woman’s poignant and pointed eulogy for a nephew who deserved more than passing notoriety…”

Prior to the event on February 7, Ms. Kurdi toured Journeys Beyond Genocide: The Human Experience at Chhange on Brookdale Community College’s Lincroft campus.