In observance of “Holocaust Survivor Day,” Jewish Community Services and The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore will host a private luncheon for survivors and their loved ones on Thursday, June 4.
The gathering is aimed at offering opportunities for connection and reflection, as well as to enjoy a musical performance by the Vladimir Fridman Trio.
Established in 2020, “Holocaust Survivor Day” honors the contributions, resilience and legacies of living survivors from around the world. (Approximately 196,600 survivors are believed to be alive today.)
Throughout the year, JCS and the Baltimore Jewish Council, both of which are Associated agencies, provide opportunities for local survivors to share their stories with youth and adults in schools, congregations and organizational settings, as well as at community events.
“Survivors play an integral role in our community,” said JCS Executive Director Joan Grayson Cohen.“Their strength illustrates the resilience of the human spirit and serves as an inspiration. With rising antisemitism, their powerful stories and lived experiences are even more critical to share so that we ensure the world never forgets nor repeats the atrocities they endured.”
Leading the international observance are the Seed the Dream Foundation, the World Zionist Organization, Jewish Federation of North America, UJA New York and JCC Krakow.
In 2019, Seed the Dream partnered with KAVOD to establish the KAVOD Survivors of the Holocaust Emergency Fund (SHEF) to address the emergency needs of survivors. At that time, it was estimated that one-third of the 100,000 survivors across the United States were living in poverty.
This year, “Holocaust Survivor Day” events are taking place in 32 KAVOD SHEF communities across the U.S.
“’Holocaust Survivor Day’ is a day to lift up the survivors still with us and to recognize the dignity, wisdom, and resilience they embody,” said Amy Israel Pregulman, executive director and co-founder of KAVOD. “When we fund services for Holocaust survivors, we are caring for treasured members of our community and reinforcing the values we want that community to stand for.”
Said Marcy Gringlas, president and co-founder of Seed the Dream Foundation: “The Holocaust survivors still among us carry history in the most personal and powerful way. They have transformed pain into perseverance, loss into legacy, and survival into generations of life. On this day, we celebrate them and learn from their courage and grace: from what they endured and the extraordinary life and meaning they moved forward to create.”
Shelley Rood Wernick, associate vice president of JFNA’s Center on Aging, Trauma, and Holocaust Survivor Care, said “Holocaust Survivor Day” is a critical observance for American Jewry.
“Survivors rebuilt their lives from unimaginable loss and gifted the world with hope, wisdom, and moral clarity,” said Wernick. “Our task is to honor that legacy by ensuring every survivor feels valued and is cared for, today and every day.”
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