Holocaust memorial program is Tuesday in Oak Ridge
The City of Oak Ridge has proclaimed April 18 to be Holocaust Remembrance Day for 2023.
A unique Holocaust Remembrance Program will be held at 7 p.m. that day at the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge. The program is co-sponsored by the Tennessee Holocaust Commission, Knoxville Jewish Alliance, and the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge.
The program will feature the personal story of Holocaust Survivor Michael Berkowicz.
Michael was born in 1944 and was just a baby when the Holocaust took place. All of his family members are Polish Jews who fled eastward during the war, allowing Michael and his brother to be born in Siberia. He, his parents and brother are the only ones of his family (his father had 11 siblings; his mother nine) to survive the Holocaust.
Michael is also one of the architects of the POLIN Museum in Warsaw, a museum of the history of Polish Jews.
He will be joined by his wife, Bonnie, for a question-and-answer session after he shares his story of survival during an atrocious time in world history.
After the program, guests will be able to view a Tennessee Holocaust Commission exhibit of "Living On" panels, showcasing testimonies from other survivors from East Tennessee. The panels include survivor Mira Kimmelman (of blessed memory), a longtime educator dedicated to sharing her story and teaching generations in our community and across the state.
Kimmelman established the local Holocaust Remembrance Program in the 1970s, initially for her students and their parents. It was later expanded to include the larger community.
Yellow memorial candles will be available for anyone attending the service to take home and light with their family in memory of the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. The candle is modeled after a traditional Jewish memorial Yahrzeit candle that burns for 24 hours during periods of mourning and on the anniversary of the death of a loved one.
The U.S. Congress established a week of Remembrance as the nation’s annual commemoration of the Holocaust. Observances and remembrance activities run from April 16, the Sunday before Holocaust Remembrance Day (April 18), through the following Sunday, April 23.
Antisemitism, racism, and other forms of hatred continue to rise in the United States and around the world. It is now all the more important to remember the Holocaust to make the world a better place for future generations.
To attend the 2023 Holocaust Remembrance Program virtually, send an email for the Zoom link to events@jcor.info.
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Holocaust memorial program Oak Ridge Tennessee
