More than 40 years ago, a group of Teaneck residents, children of Holocaust survivors, joined forces and created an annual Holocaust commemoration to honor the memories of those who were lost and to celebrate the lives of those who survived. Over the years, the commemoration, held in the auditorium of Teaneck High School, attracted hundreds of participants who heard firsthand accounts from survivors and Holocaust educators. Children from local day schools presented musical renditions of Holocaust songs; candles were lit by survivors and their descendents; and a booklet listing hundreds of names of local families who contributed to the program in memory of those we lost was distributed.

In 2021, the Teaneck Holocaust Commemoration was broadcast on Vimeo to an audience of over 700. The featured speaker was Hannah Pick Goslar, who resides in Israel and was a childhood friend of Anne Frank. A decision was made to present the 2022 commemoration on Vimeo to allow for extensive audience participation once again without the restrictions posed by COVID.

The 15-member Holocaust Commemoration Committee has been hard at work for months planning for the upcoming virtual program to be held on Wednesday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m., Erev Yom Hashoah. Co-chairs Felicia Grossman and Chani Jaskoll, both children of survivors, are passionate about the annual program, and shared: “We, the children of survivors, whose ranks are slowly diminishing with each passing day, grew up with the immediacy and proximity of the heavy silences alternating with the tortuous stories of the Shoah. Yet, just as we retell the story of our liberation from Egypt annually to our descendents, so too must we relate the narrative of the Holocaust to the next generations so that it is not forgotten. Each of us shares in the responsibility of transmitting this message so that this black period of man’s inhumanity to his fellow man is never to recur.”

The evening will commence with greetings from Teaneck Mayor James Dunleavy and Teaneck Jewish Community Council President Bruce Prince. The featured speaker this year is bestselling author Judy Batalion, whose recent publication, “The Light Of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos,” has been translated into 20 languages and has been optioned by Steven Spielberg for a major motion picture. Batalion, a granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, spent nearly 10 years researching heroic female resistance fighters, many of whose stories have never been revealed. Her research took her across the world to interview survivors and witnesses.

Picking up on the theme of resistance, Teaneck resident Jonathan Rimberg, a gifted musician and founder of Nafshenu Orchestra, will present three musical tributes to the Shoah. One of the three musical renditions will pay tribute to renowned resistance fighter Hannah Senesh, whose 100th birthday was celebrated this past year. Rimberg has been graciously providing the musical portion of the Holocaust Commemoration for many years. The names of the sponsors of this year’s program will be scrolled during the musical presentation.

Featured as this year’s Legacy Family will be two generations of the Schulder family: parents Sharona and Jacob, joined by children Saadya, Hannah and Noa. The Schulders represent the third and fourth generations of Holocaust surviviors who resisted the Nazis and reconstructed their lives, assuring the continuity and strength of the Jewish people. Their retelling of their family’s courageous survival will help preserve the memory of the Holocaust and ensure that those who perished will never be forgotten.

To conclude the program, Rabbi Yosef Adler, Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Riinat Yisrael, will recite the memorial prayer “Kel Malei Rachamim” as he has been so meaningfully chanting for the Teaneck Holocaust Commemoration for many years.

To access the one-hour Teaneck Holocaust Commemoration Program on Wednesday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m., visit: https://vimeo.com/event/194025.

To donate to the Teaneck Holocaust Committee, go to www.teaneckyomhashoa.org or mail a check to Sharon Penkower Kaplan, 534 S. Forest Drive, Teaneck, NJ 07666. Please make checks payable to Jewish Community Council of Greater Teaneck, Ref: Yom Hashoah 2022. Donations are tax deductible.

By Pearl Markovitz