In an atmosphere of hope for a unified community, Penn State Hillel held a rally Friday in protest of an advertisement that ran in The Daily Collegian Wednesday.

The controversial ad questioned whether the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum provided substantial evidence that Jews were exterminated in gas chambers during the Holocaust. It was written by Bradley R. Smith, director of the Committee for Open Debate on the Holocaust, and has been published in the past by several college newspapers.

University Police Services estimated that more than 250 people attended the rally on the steps in front of Pattee. The rally featured several speakers --including rabbis, students, faculty and administrators -- who expressed both anger and disbelief that the ad was published.

The event's organizer, Rabbi David Sudaley, director of Hillel, began the rally with a speech that both stressed the historical importance of the Holocaust and questioned the ethical decision of the Collegian for printing the ad. Sudaley's emotional speech drew applause from the crowd several times.

While Sudaley was surrounded by students holding various posters reading "Hitler killed my family. Bradley Smith wants to kill the memory," "Tell my dead relatives there were no gas chambers," and "Collegian insults 4 profit," he spoke of the need to understand the Holocaust.

"I ask those making the decisions to put yourself in the place of Holocaust survivors," he said. "This is not a question of free speech, this is a question of accountability."

Several people spoke during the rally about the indelible impression that the Holocaust left on both Jews and non-Jews alike.

Trudy Lipowsky, who was born in Bergen-Belsen, a camp in Nazi Germany, said: "I am speaking here for the 6 million Jews who were killed . . . and for everyone that Hitler and the Nazis felt did not have a right to live."

Because both of her parents are survivors of Nazi concentration camps, Lipowski said the memory of the Holocaust has been a large part of her life.

"It's all my parents talked about," she said, adding that people like Bradley Smith want to "dehumanize the memory of the Holocaust."

George Enteen, a University history professor, spoke about the undeniable proof of the Holocaust.

With the library looming in the background, he said, "Right behind me there are tons of evidence."

Some of those attending the rally were equally upset about the ad.

"It was offending to most people on campus," said Alexis Lane (junior-broadcast cable). "It seems to me that money was the main concern."

Alyssa Schultz, co-president of Yachad -- Penn State Friends of Israel, said, "It was a public outrage that the ad was considered."

Sudaley said although he was pleased with Collegian Business Manager Walter F. Gorba's apology, he would like to see more positive reactions.

Sudaley asked the Collegian to donate the money from both the Hillel ad for the rally and the Bradley Smith ad to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and to publish a free ad for the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith that exposes Holocaust revisionists. He also requested that an advisory board be set up to settle ethical questions at the Collegian.

Gorba was unavailable for comment, but Danielle Gray, the Collegian's assistant business manager, said, "We are going to wait to see the requests in print."

Regarding the proposed advisory board, Gray said the business managers would work internally with their professional managers to discuss ways to prevent something like this from happening again.

Although Gray said she did not feel the rally was necessary because Gorba admitted that running the advertisement was a mistake, several speakers used the opportunity to strike a positive tone by commending the show of unity at the rally and urging continued interaction between all ethnic groups.

Terrell Jones, deputy vice provost for educational equity, said a person doesn't have to be Jewish to understand the Holocaust, African-American to understand slavery or gay to understand sexual discrimination, adding that what is needed is "a community that is supportive of the rights of all people."

Marisa Mayeski, director of the Undergraduate Student Government's Department of Women's Affairs, said, "We need to support each other's efforts. I can still be non-Jewish and be here."

Another person attended the rally for different reasons -- Karl Striedieck, the man who placed the ad in the Collegian, was there.

"I wanted to stay informed," Striedieck said about why he attended the rally, adding that he stayed in the background to avoid any confrontation.

Striedieck said he thought the rally was well organized.

Overall, Sudaley said he was happy with the issues that were addressed at the rally.

"I think it was an excellent show of concern," he said.