The Teaneck Holocaust Commemoration Committee of the Jewish Community Council of Greater Teaneck takes pride in having marked Yom HaShoah for more than 35 years. The committee, composed originally of children of Holocaust survivors, now includes third-generation family members who are determined to keep the memories of their beloved predecessors alive and properly memorialized. With the support of local shuls that now number 21, and community members, the program has attracted hundreds of participants throughout the years.

Over these many years, they have designed programs featuring Holocaust survivors, Holocaust historians, authors of diaries and memoirs as well as Jewish leaders at the forefront of Holocaust education. At the upcoming Holocaust Commemoration, to be held on Yom HaShoah, April 23, they will be featuring a local resident of Teaneck, Ron Siesser, whose memoir, “Live and Be Counted: A Boy’s Heroic Tale of Survival, Faith and Family,” was published in October 2024, and immediately rose to be Amazon’s No. 1 release for the month. The memoir is the culmination of a multigenerational effort to pay tribute to the courage of their family and to share their story with a wider audience.

When Eli Siesser, son of Ron Siesser, was a fifth grader at Yavneh Academy, he chose to interview his great-grandfather Alfons Sperber for his immigration project.Through regular Zoom conversations, Papa Sperber’s memories begin to resurface, gaining clarity and depth. He shared with his great-grandson, who at the time was 11, that his notorious journey began at the same age.

When the Nazis invaded the Sperbers’ hometown in Vienna, they fled to France dodging several close calls, then on to a refugee camp in Switzerland. While his own father was taken prisoner and cunningly escaped an Auschwitz-bound train, Sperber, his mother and sister Helga follow the father’s cleverly assembled plan to stay one step ahead of the Nazi advance. At one point, Sperber is separated from his family and hidden in a monastery in France disguised as a monk. Miraculously, a sympathetic cleric takes him under his wing and even arranges for Sperber to don tefillin every day. Miraculously surviving the war, the family emigrated to America to rebuild their lives.

At the Yom HaShoah program, Ron Siesser will be sharing his grandfather’s story alongside a live Zoom with Sperber from Queens. This year’s Legacy Family, tasked with the traditional Candle Lighting Ceremony, will consist of the extended Siesser and Perlmutter families, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Alfons Sperber.

The program, to be held at Bergenfield High School, will open with the National Anthem and a vocal ensemble by the Yeshivat Noam Choir under the skilled direction of Adina Mermelstein. Greetings from Steve Fox, president of the Jewish Community Council of Greater Teaneck, and welcoming remarks by Chani Jaskoll, co-chair of the Holocaust Committee with Felicia Grossman, will follow.

As in years past, Teanecker and noted musician Jonathan Rimberg, accompanied by violinist Stepanie Kurrtzman, will present a medley of Holocaust songs. A listing of “Those We Have Lost” will be scrolled during the musical interlude.

Special this year is a video produced by Gila Bretter, art instructor at The Moriah School, entitled “Women in the Holocaust.” The video will conclude with a presentation of artwork inspired by the film and created by the junior high school students of The Moriah School.

Rabbi Larry Rothwachs, mora d’asra of Congregation Beth Aaron, will read selected Tehillim and recite a tefillah for the speedy return of all hostages.

The Kaddish and Kel Maleh will be led by AJ Schreiber.

The Committee urges the Teaneck and surrounding communities to attend the program in large numbers as a tribute to “Those We Have Lost.”

The program will be held on Wednesday, April 23, 7:30 p.m., at Bergenfield High School, 80 South Prospect Avenue. Ample parking will be available as well as handicapped access.

Donations to the program are accepted online at www.teaneckyomhashoa.org

For questions, please contact Felicia Grossman at felicia1221@optonline.net or Chani Jaskoll at hjaskoll@gmail.com