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April 14, 2021 Vol. 16 No. 28
‘Yom Ha’Shoah’ From Left: Steven Geiger, Talia Lizemer-Hawley, Jeff Brandt, and Rabbi Arik Denenbeim. Photo by Kitty Alvarado
Commemoration Takes Place at the Holocaust Memorial in Palm Desert By Desert Star Staff Yom Ha’Shoah, known as Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day, is a day
dedicated to the memorial of the six million Jews and five million other lives lost under Nazi persecution. But it also
By Kitty Alvarado It’s a race to eradicate COVID 19 at Riverside University Health System Medical Center. “When people come in, and they see the finish line flag there that we’re getting to getting back to normal,” says Heather Jackson, the senior public information officer for RUHS. The hospital pulled out all the stops to celebrate that anyone 16 and older can get Riverside County’s COVID vaccine. “It’s a historic moment. It’s no longer grandpa and grandma or just mom and dad now it’s everybody, it’s the whole family,” says Jackson.
“What a relief; we’re welcoming and encouraging everyone to get vaccinated,” says Davalyn Tidwell, RUHS director of pharmacy. This makes a million more people eligible, including me. This day means I’m a step closer to being with my family. The wait is finally over for Rosa Velasquez and her niece Jasmin Jimenez. This was an emotional day for them too. “It’s really bittersweet,” says Velasquez. The virus has taken so much from their family. “Someone in the family passed away … my grandma,” says Jimenez as
reminds us to commemorate the heroic actions of good people whose efforts and bravery saved hundreds
of thousands of individuals from death and reflect on the acts of resistance that took place throughout the war.
Yom Ha’Shoah corresponds to the 27th day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar, marking the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Continues on Page 5
Race to the Finish Line as Riverside County Expands Vaccine Eligibility
Continues on Page 5