New Bedford Holocaust remembrance planned

NEW BEDFORD – The Holocaust Education and Memorial Committee has planned several events in April to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) on April 16, according to Cynthia Yoken, chair of the committee, part of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Bedford.  This year is also the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps in western Europe.  Several events have been planned at different venues in the area to teach us about the Holocaust.

On April 9 at Bristol Community College, Esther Bauer will speak about her experiences as a Holocaust survivor at 4 p.m. in the Jackson Arts Center.  On April 15 at UMass Dartmouth, the Center for Jewish Culture and the Boivin Center for French Language and Culture present Sarah Miller and Joyce Miller.  They will speak at noon in the Grand Reading Room of the Claire T. Carney Library on Sarah’s memoir, “Eluding the Nazis in Occupied France.” On April 16,  the Zeiterion Theatre will be presenting “Nazi Hunter: Simon Wiesenthal,” the one-man show by Tom Duggan who portrays Simon Wiesenthal.  In partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater New Bedford, the morning performance will sponsor area students to attend this performance and also to view an exhibit of local Holocaust survivor Abraham Landau by Spinner Publications.  There will be a book discussion of Abe’s book, “Branded on My Arm and in My Soul” at 6 p.m. before the evening performance.

The community observance of Yom HaShoah will take place on Sunday, April 26, beginning with a memorial service at the Holocaust Monument in Buttonwood Park at 6:30 p.m.  This year we will be paying tribute to the liberators of the concentration camps as well as the intellectuals, the clergy and the children of the Holocaust.  Following a candlelight procession to Tifereth Israel Synagogue, Robert Fokos will speak about his childhood growing up in Hungary during the war, and more recently, rediscovering his Jewish roots. 

There will be an exhibit of the liberators, of the life of Abraham Landau and artwork and essays done by the students in the area.