Join the Jewish Federation of Reading on Monday, April 17 at 7 p.m. for an evening to commemorate, remember and honor the six million Jews and five million others who were murdered during the Holocaust. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held at The Highlands, 2000 Cambridge Avenue Wyomissing, PA and is sponsored by the Lakin Holocaust Library & Resource Center and Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks. This year’s event is a partnership with 3G Philly, a collective of grandchildren of Holocaust survivors in the Delaware Valley seeking to honor our grandparents through education, advocacy, and peer support in order to uphold the pledge of “never again.”
The program will feature the histories of local Holocaust survivors and Highlands residents Esther and Sid Bratt. Their granddaughters Michele Leisawitz and Stacy Seltzer will share their stories of survival.
This year’s Yom Hashoah commemoration will also include an “Unto Every Person There is a Name” ceremony. Now in its 34th year, these ceremonies are a unique project designed to perpetuate the memory of the Six Million murdered during the Shoah. This worldwide Holocaust memorial project offers the opportunity to memorialize them not only as a collective but also as individuals – one at a time – through the public recitation of their names on Yom Hashoah. Local Jewish youth will be reading a list of over eight dozen names, which have been collected from local residents of family members who perished during the Holocaust.
Join us as we mark the 30th anniversary of the Lakin Holocaust Library & Resource Center at the event. The Lakin HRC is a proud partnership of Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks and Albright College. A special $30 for 30 campaign will kick off that evening with proceeds going towards the transcription of over two dozen Holocaust survivor testimonies currently stored at the Lakin HRC at Albright College. Transcriptions will allow students at Albright College and researchers around the world to better search and analyze these important first-person accounts of survival during the Holocaust. This vital addition will ensure that the survivors’ legacies live on and stories are heard.
The remembrance will include a memorial candle lighting service led by Holocaust survivors and family members of survivors. Such unique opportunities with Holocaust survivors will soon be a thing of the past, as many survivors are dying each year. Join us as we celebrate Jewish life and remember the millions of Jews and non-Jews who perished during the holocaust.
The Lakin Holocaust Library & Resource Center (HRC), a joint effort between Albright College and Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks. The Lakin HRC contains more than 2,800 volumes of text and audio-visual materials that support its’ mission to educate the community about the Holocaust and other genocides.
The Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks is the planning, coordinating and fundraising arm of the Jewish community. The Federation raises and allocates funds for The Jewish Federations of North America’s collective efforts in support of many vital national and international Jewish organizations.
For more information contact Amanda J. Hornberger 610-921-0624 or [email protected]
