The story must survive.
Hundreds of people — young and old — filled Temple Sholom in Mill Basin to honor those killed during the Holocaust with a candle-lighting ceremony on Yom HaShoah, the Holocaust day of remembrance. And a survivor, whose family escaped the Shoah, spoke to the multi-generational room to ensure that what happened more than 70 years ago will never be forgotten, said Rabbi Eliseo Rozenwasser.
“Our main goal is to preserve the memories of those who died during the Holocaust and make sure that new generations are aware of what happened and turn that tragedy into a positive message,” he said. “And making sure that we can recreate — through acts of kindness — the lives that were lost.”
The temple reverberated with song from local Hebrew school students, who performed the Israeli national anthem and other tunes — and in turn, the youngsters were able to learn about the tragedy that afflicted their ancestors, said Audrey Durst, chairperson of the temple’s Holocaust committee.
“We used to have many survivors in our temple, we only have about six or seven left and it’s very sad,” she said. “And it’s very important that the children are taught and so they can carry on and it’s not forgotten.”
