Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) is a day for the community to collectively remember and honor the six million Jewish people who perished in the Holocaust. This year, Yom HaShoah takes place on April 28, while the annual Yom HaShoah Community Observance will be commemorated in person for the first time in two years, and stream via Facebook Live on Sunday, May 1, 2022 from 2:00-4:00 p.m.
The event is hosted in partnership by Jewish Long Beach and Alpert Jewish Community Center, on the Weinberg Jewish Long Beach Campus (3801 E Willow, Long Beach 90815).
The program will include music, a traditional memorial service led by Rabbi Scott Fox of Temple Israel, participation from local Jewish clergy, commemorative candle lighting, and more. Keynote speaker Harriet Bennish, local professional vocalist and musical historian, will present “Tears, Joy and Hope: Yiddish Songs of the Jewish Ghetto,” a detailed revival of the Yiddish music that sustained the oppressed Jewish communities of Eastern Europe during the rise of WWII.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to explore the Alpert JCC Gatov Gallery’s current exhibition: Faces of Resilience, Faith, and the Human Spirit, curated by Georgia Freedman-Harvey. This exhibition includes the artwork of Bill Aron, Dina Dar and Dave Fox. Through their artwork they share their own experiences and those of other survivors, demonstrating their unrelenting determination, hope, faith, resilience, and the power of the human spirit to thrive even after the darkness of the Holocaust.
People may RSVP for the free, in-person event by visiting https://alpertjcc.org/yomhashoah/ The event will also stream for free on the Alpert JCC’s Facebook page: https://facebook.com/AlpertJCC.
The event is free to the public, but those who wish to help continue the crucial work of Holocaust education and remembrance can donate to the Gerda Seifer Fund at Jewish Long Beach. Donations may be made at www.jewishlongbeach.org or by calling (562) 426-7601 ext. 1314.
The Alpert JCC and Jewish Long Beach provide programming for all ages and stages of life. Known as “Your Center for Life,” The Alpert JCC provides a gathering space in which all are welcome to pursue early childhood education, after-school programs, fitness programs, aquatics activities, and summer camp, as well as to engage in Jewish life, culture, and education.