TABC’s annual Yom HaShoah commemoration may have taken place virtually this year, but was no less moving and powerful. The program began with a recording of the siren playing in Israel on Yom HaShoah 2018. Accompanied by Shmuel Yablok on drums, Rabbi Yablok opened the program by remarking that, while it of course isn’t remotely comparable, the isolation many are feeling reminds us of our people’s collective suffering in the past. We are still able to speak with those who experienced the tragedy of the Holocaust, but as each year passes, fewer survivors are around to share their stories. It therefore becomes incumbent on us to pass down their tales of survival. This message was echoed by Aharon Ahdoot, who spoke with a number of survivors, who all expressed how critical it is to carry on their stories. After all, he said, our existence today is owed to the perseverance of our grandparents and great-grandparents. Between moving survivor testimonials, seniors Yonatan Kaye, Danny Schwartz, Avi Stuart and Eli Ziegler led a candle lighting ceremony; Eli Turansky recited “The Action in the Ghetto of Rohatyn” by survivor Alexander Kimel; and Yishai Rosenberg performed a moving rendition of “Ani Maamin” on his keyboard. The program concluded with inspiring words from Rabbi Adler as well as a chilling recital of “Kel Maleh.”

This year’s unusual circumstances meant many more hours of coordination. Special thanks to Donna Hoenig for spearheading the program as she does annually, as well as Marita Poline and Cary Reichardt, director of TABC’s Holocaust Studies curriculum, for their contributions. Lastly, thank you to TABC’s STEM Coordinator Aryeh Tiefenbrunn for the hours he spent coordinating the Zooms and livestream, even conducting a “dress rehearsal” on the eve of the program.