Never Forget
This Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, I urge you to act!
As a proud 3G, the grandchild of 2 Holocaust survivors (Jewish partisans!), I see how urgent it is to recognize our past and prevent atrocities like this in the future. We need to bear witness to past trauma and pave a better road ahead for future generations.
Virtual Events with Survivors
I’ll elaborate below but for my friends who skim, check these out:
Events today, April 8th:
JPEF event at 7pm EST featuring 7 Jewish Partisans! [Recorded Live on Facebook]
3GNY-led a multi-organization event at 7pm EST featuring a Holocaust Survivor in discussion with other 3Gs about the urgent need for younger generations to get involved in Holocaust education.
More events:
Sunday, April 11 at 2pm EST Annual Gathering of Remembrance led by the Museum of Jewish Heritage, partnered with The Blue Card. The program will feature music, a candle-lighting ceremony, and reflections from these public figures:
Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
Elisha Wiesel, son of the late Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel
Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Holocaust survivor and Museum Trustee
#WeRemember#StoriesSurvive#YomHaShoah#Holocaust#NeverForget
“Never Again” is a Lie
People throw this phrase around but it’s not true. It’s not enough to say it - performance activism does not truly help. We need to take action!
2020 felt like our world was on fire and it rages on in 2021
There’s hope with the vaccine but the pandemic rages on across the globe and the uncertainty it produces is maddening.
People are frustrated, angry and looking for someone to blame.
Scapegoating Jews and other minorities sadly has a long history, especially times of crisis. This is clear now with hate crimes rising during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Anti-Defamation League tracked a clear rise in white supremacist propaganda in 2020. #NeverisNow
(JTA) — Last year, the United States saw the most white supremacist propaganda in a decade, with thousands of flyers, bumper stickers, banners and other propaganda reported across the country, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
My Asian friends have been physically and verbally attacked and it pains me to know this trend is only increasing. Hate crimes are spiking. We can’t accept this!
My friends at 3GNY recognize this and issued this statement:
Yom HaShoah
This Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, act! Bear witness and educate yourself and others to prevent history from repeating itself.
Bear Witness & Educate Yourself
Hear directly from survivors - incredible virtual events tonight!
JPEF event at 7pm EST featuring 7 Jewish Partisans!
JPEF is featuring these incredible Jewish Partisans sharing their stories of bravery and survival:
Sara and Charles Bedzow
Alex Folkman
Judith Ginsburg
Rose Holm
Faye Schulman
Ted Winestone
3GNY multi-organization event at 7pm EST featuring a Holocaust Survivor in discussion with 3Gs!
Register at Liberation75.org/3 for this event featuring Holocaust survivor Hedy Bohm in dicussion with a panel of grandchildren of survivors (3Gs) about the need for younger generations to get involved and share their family stories in schools.
Sharing is Caring
I write in honor of my paternal grandparents, Harry Konopko and Luba Konopko, Jewish Partisans in the Bielski Brothers Partisan Brigade and proud Holocaust survivors. I hope their legacy lives on and their actions inspire you as they have inspired me.
I’m committed to sharing their story today and every day. This Spring, I will participate in the Spring cohort of 3GNY’s flagship initiative, WEDU, “We Educate” and learn how best to summarize and share their stories for future generations.
For now, I’m proud to share that my family is part of the Lida Holocaust Memorial Foundation, a non-profit founded over 50 years ago by survivors of World War ll from the Lida area in modern day Belarus (then Poland), many of whom who were rescued by the Bielski Brothers portrayed in the movie Defiance.
Follow @3GNY on Instagram and Facebook for more incredible stories!
#WEDU#YomHashoah#HolocaustRemembranceDay#GrandchildofHolocaustSurvivors#HolocaustEducation
🚨 Mitzvah Alert 🚨
What’s a mitzvah? A Jewish (Hebrew) term often used for good deeds, but truly speaking of actions that are considered commandments from the Torah.
Sent a virtual greeting card to a Holocaust Survivor via The Blue Card!
🚨Tzedakah Alert 🚨
Take action by putting your money behind your words and actively supporting charities.
What’s tzedakah? A Jewish (Hebrew) term for generosity towards others, often charitable giving or actions, that’s especially encouraged around the holidays to show gratitude for all that you have and give back to the community.
Pronounced: tzuh-DAH-kuh, Origin: Hebrew
from the Hebrew root for justice, charitable giving.
Donate to these incredible Holocaust organizations:
3GNY & their Holocaust education initiative, WEDU, “We Educate”
Jewish Partisan Education Foundation (JPEF), Holocaust education for teachers and students
Lida Holocaust Memorial Foundation members of the Bielski Brothers partisans group portrayed in the movie Defiance
The Museum of Jewish Heritage in downtown Manhattan, Holocaust Education for the public
Selfhelp and The Blue Card, directly supporting the needs of Holocaust survivors
Did this inspire you? Please share!
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