Reprinted from Yom Hashoah 2010

My children have no concept of the Holocaust. Much of that is because of their age. They are too young to learn the graphic details and not mature enough to comprehend the systematic murder of 6 million Jews. Please God, in time they will learn through books and programs about the Shoah, but their education will not be the equal to mine or Dori's education about the Holocaust. The reason for that chasm is less about research and books and more about living in a post Holocaust survivor generation.
 
Dori and I grew up in communities where we regular saw older people - sometimes at shul and sometimes in the grocery store - with numbers tattooed on their arms. We were taught from a young age that they were 'survivors', part of a sad and strong fraternity.  Much like when we enter a library and our voices fall to a whisper, we intrinsically knew whenever around survivors to always be on our best behavior and to act with deference and compassion. As we grew older we learned the horrors of these survivors' lives. The stories behind the ink on their arms, the reason for their tired faces, the purpose of expensive monuments of memory in the courtyard of our synagogues, the painful tears at Yizkor streaming from their eyes, all crystallized for us. We learned through books and through movies and documentaries but the most powerful and real lessons were those shared through the personal testimonies of survivors.  
 
That generation is evaporating before our eyes. My children and yours will be raised without the testimonies and living faces that shaped our collective and individual memories. Did you know that most 11th graders were born AFTER Schindler's List came out in the movie theater? Most 30 year old Jews have never been to Yad Vashem? Most 6 year olds will not remember people who survived the Holocaust when they grow into adulthood?
 
That challenge, especially in the face of Holocaust deniers at the United Nations, should fortify our determination to ensure that Holocaust education remains a top tier priority for our kids and grandkids, in schools and at home. There are a few ways we can do that: 

• You can participate in organized trips/tours to Poland and visit Auschwitz, Birkenau, Treblinka, Majdanek, and learn about the communities of Warsaw and Krakow.
• You can watch Schindler's List with your teenage child. 
• You can take a trip to Israel and dedicate a morning to touring Yad Vashem. If you have been before, go back and bring your kids. Experience Yad Vashem through their lens.
• Spend time with survivors now. Learn their stories. Ask them questions. Let them meet your kids. Create memories. 

This Monday, May 2nd is Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. Make sure that we commemorate it by keeping our promise to each victim of the Shoah, 'Never Again' and 'We will Never Forget.' Help keep that promise in a post Holocaust survivor generation. It is up to you to make sure that the past is never forgotten, lest, God forbid, we repeat it.

Make an effort to attend the Yom Hashoah Commemoration at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades in Tenafly, on Sunday, May 1 at 7:00 PM. Please click here for more information.  

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Temple Emanu-El

Bring your friends into our circle.

Tour the Building, Meet the Clergy.

Learn about:

The Religious School, Youth Groups,

Special Membership & Unique programs for Young Couples & Families.

Refreshments will be Served

RSVP to Carol - 201-750-9997

gaughan@templeemanu-el .com