.Kristallnacht Memorial Service: November 8 Jewish Community Happenings
T
his year’s memorial service, marking the 82nd anniversary of Kristallnacht and the 65th annual ceremony held at Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial Cemetery, will be held on Sunday Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. Due to COVID-19 concerns and restrictions this year, the service will be transmitted live from the memorial at Emek Sholom. While the speakers, Cantor Dara Sage Rosenblatt and a few others involved in the service will be present, it is requested community members attend the service remotely. To register for the observance and view online, see the link in the caption under the photo. The guest speaker will be Daniel Staffenberg, CEO, Jewish Community Federation of Richmond. Alex Keisch, committe chair, will offer opening remarks. The Shofar Call to Assembly will be led by Jay Ipson and Ben Ipson. Dr. Limor Glazer Schwam will deliver remarks on “Stories Behind These Names” related to the names on the Emek Sholom Memorial Wall. Dr. Roger Loria will present the “E.J. Windmuller Never Again” Award. Rudy Rochman is scheduled to conclude the event to speak about Social Media. Also participating in the event will be members of the American Legion Post 144. History of Emek Sholom Tucked away in a section of the sprawling Forest Lawn cemetery near the RIR track on Laburnum is a beautiful and moving memorial to the slain relatives of the survivors who emigrated to the Richmond area.
The Holocaust Memorial at Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial Cemetery is now believed to be the oldest memorial to the Holocaust in North America. To register and view the observance, visit www.jewishrichmond.org/calendar/emek-sholom-holocaust-memorial-kristallnach
Best known to the Richmond Jewish community for the Beth El section at the entrance, Forest Lawn is also where, in 1955, members of the New American Jewish Club bought land and erected the memorial to their loved ones who perished in the Holocaust. These new residents of the United States pooled their meager resources and constructed this memorial to 200 family members who had perished in the Holocaust and whose final resting places will forever be unknown. Since then, every year on the Sunday closest to the November anniversary of Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass), a memorial service is held to honor the slain relatives and all of the six million who were killed, continuing our commitment to Never Again. The service is usually an hour long, traditionally with a
Thank you Friends of Reflector The Reflector staff and Jewish Community Federation of Richmond thank
Vivian Burton for her recent donation to the Friends of Reflector. As always, we thank the community for supporting the Reflector. Stay healthy and safe.
.
20 | the Reflector | November 2020 Cheshvan/Kislev 5781
guest speaker, family speaker, high school students who have won the Esther Windmueller Never Again essay contest, candle lighting, reciting of El Maleh Rachamim and Kaddish prayers. In 1998 the Virginia Department of Historic Resources recognized the Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial, one of the first Holocaust memorials in North America, by listing it as a Historic Landmark in Virginia. The following year, the U.S. Department of the Interior placed it on the National Register of Historic Places. On Nov. 7, 1999, two flanking panels, bearing 239 additional names, were dedicated by new A bugler from the American Legion plays members of the Richmond Jewish com- “Taps” at last year’s Memorial Service. munity to memorialize their family mem- File Photo bers who were killed in the Holocaust. Federation to obtain materials. They were Adjacent to the Emek Sholom Holocaust puzzled about the request, and undertook Memorial is a Jewish cemetery for Ho- their own investigation. After researching locaust survivors, their descendants, and the issue they determined there was neither written nor physical evidence that others of the Jewish faith. Recently, after some research under- such an item ever existed. While we do not know the origins of the taken by Inge Horowitz we received some wonderful news. We have always said the story of the Indianapolis Holocaust MemoEmek Sholom Memorial is one of the old- rial, we now strongly believe that Richmond est Holocaust memorials in North Amer- is indeed home to the OLDEST memorial ica, having been under the impression for to the Holocaust in North America. Yet Emek Sholom remains one of many decades that our memorial was preceded by a memorial obelisk in a cemetery Richmond’s best kept secrets. For more information about the Emek in Indianapolis, Indiana. Attempting to find out more about this Sholom Holocaust Memorial Cemetery, obelisk, Inge contacted the Indianapolis please visit emeksholomcemeteryrichmond.org/ www.JewishRichmond.org
