At a gala to benefit Holocaust survivors hosted by the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island (JCCGCI), which included a stirring musical performance by Shulem Lemmer, two survivors took the stage to tell their stories. One was Holocaust survivor Dolly Rabinowitz. The other was 22-year-old Nova Festival survivor Shir Zohar.

The most poignant part of the discussion during the “Surviving Then & Now” gala was the image of Zohar tenderly placing her arm on Rabinowitz while they shared their stories of survival. It was symbolic of a connection that those of us who haven’t survived a massacre can never truly understand.

Slovie Jungreis-Wolff, daughter of Holocaust survivors Rabbi Theodore and Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis, moderated the discussion, which began with a glimpse of the horrors Rabinowitz and Zohar endured.

Rabinowitz recalled the time when she and her family arrived in Auschwitz. She stated that the only luggage her father had was his tallit and tefillin bag, which the Nazis took and threw on the floor before telling him, “Where you are going, you are not going to need it.”

The selection then began and Josef Mengele, known as “the Angel of Death,” sent the young and able-bodied to the right, while the elderly and mothers with babies and children were sent to the left. Rabinowitz and her mother were sent to the left, while Rabinowitz’s two sisters and sister-in-law were sent to the right. Upon telling her mother that the others went to the right, her mother told her to run after them. “Hashem and my mother saved my life,” Rabinowitz said.

Zohar shared her story, recalling that the atmosphere at the Nova Festival was peace and love. When she and her best friend, Ester, saw missiles in the sky in the early morning of October 7, they decided to try and drive home, but ultimately encountered men in IDF uniforms wearing Hamas headbands who shot at their car. Neither Zohar nor Ester were hit.

When driving ultimately became impossible, the two women started walking. They came across three cars blocking the road and a few men including Ori Arad, a 22-year-old bartender from the festival. Zohar recalled that when she heard Arad talk to his father and tell him he was leaving, she asked if she and Ester could join him. “Of course,” Arad responded.

As they were driving, Arad said, “Don’t be stressed, girls, there is going to be [shooting] now.” Arad then ran over two terrorists. Motorcycles came from the side and terrorists started shooting the cars. Arad was hit in the head, and the car flipped over three times and landed in a ditch on the side of the road.

After the crash, Zohar was the only one awake. When Arad woke up about an hour later he looked at Ester, smiled, and turned up the volume on the radio. A moment later a terrorist came to the car and shot at it.

Arad did not survive.

Zohar stated: “Ori is my angel. The reason I’m here is because [of] God, and God sent me Ori. God is my power, but Ori is the one who came and saved us.

“We visit the family of Ori all the time,” continued Zohar. “They are the strongest; they are [the most] amazing people I’ve ever met. They are my second family.”

Upon hearing Zohar’s story, Rabinowitz said that what Israelis are going through now reminds her of the horrors she endured during the Holocaust. “These Hamas terrorists kidnapping children, killing some of them, raping young girls and killing over 1,000 people is a Holocaust, and the world should realize what Hamas and the other terrorists are doing is inhuman. They should stop this terrorism.”

With incredible conviction, both Rabinowitz and Zohar stated that after their experiences they each get tremendous strength from God.

“It is Hashem who gives us the strength and I … very strong[ly] believe in Hashem,” said Rabinowitz.

Zohar explained that her relationship with God changed after October 7. “Before, I didn’t use to speak to [God]. … Only on that day when I didn’t have [anything to hold], I [held] God and I spoke to him. And from that day I know that every time I need something, I look up to the sky and talk.”

Reflecting on her miraculous survival, Zohar declared that her mission is “to remember and to show everybody that we are still here; we are going to be here for years; we are going to continue for years and years.”

Addressing Rabinowitz, Zohar said: “And for you, I want you to know that when I’m hearing you, you are my power. You are my strength.”

Notably, when Jungreis-Wolff asked Rabinowitz what her message is for today’s generation, she responded by commenting on the horrific antisemitism on college campuses: “Those intelligent professors in the universities should not tolerate … the students calling out, ‘Death to the Jews,’ ‘Death to Israel.’ It breaks my heart and the world should not tolerate it. … The United States of America is a democratic country, and it is for peace and harmony.”

When Jungreis-Wolff initially set the framework for this discussion, she stated that she grew up in a household where much of her parents’ families were killed in the Holocaust. She was given the wisdom that “When you go through a challenge and you go through darkness, you can either sit in the choshech, sit in the darkness, and become sad or angry or bitter, or you can light a candle and illuminate.”

It is certainly clear that Rabinowitz and Zohar are illuminating the world.

JCCGCI is one of the largest providers of social services to Holocaust survivors. Its services include homecare (assistance with bathing, dressing, eating, etc.), homebound visitation, meal delivery, transportation and case management. It also has a large waiting list with hundreds of survivors waiting weeks or months for desperately needed services.

JCCGCI has announced a goal to raise $1 million for its Holocaust survivor programs. There are approximately 10,000 Holocaust survivors remaining in Brooklyn, most of whom are disabled and low-income. To contribute to JCCGCI, go to www.causematch.com/JCCGCI. To see more of the event, visit https://youtu.be/VF6GACspY2M

Judith Falk is the creator of the Upper West Side Shtetl Facebook Group. You can follow her on instagram @upperwestsideshtetl. She is a lawyer by day and a former legal reporter.