Our obligation is to history and memory

By Shelley Lieb and Ida Margolis

Readers of this paper are likely to receive a great many emails each day and rarely have time to read them all. It’s certainly easier to delete than to read all those emails, but perhaps we overlook something of importance or great interest. As Ida was about to delete another email from Gideon Taylor, president of the Claims Conference (claimscon. org), she stopped to look at an illustration of an old Rosh HaShanah postcard with a greeting in Yiddish that was included, then continued to read the accompanying article that described a trip Taylor took with his family to a cemetery in Janow, a stetl in Poland where his great-grandfather is buried. All that remains today is the cemetery gate and a few weather-beaten tombstones, representing “the last physical reminder of what was once a vibrant and dynamic Jewish community of six hundred souls.”

The heartbreaking story that Taylor told of what happened to the Jews from Janow is one of millions of heartbreaking stories of Jews during the Holocaust. But what also caught my attention in this article was the following sentence: “Our obligation is not only to history, it is also to memory.” As stated by the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, “In history, we recall what happened. Through memory, we identify with what happened so that it becomes part of us and who we are.”

As Holocaust survivors pass away, we are now all guardians of the history of the Holocaust. But 2Gs and 3Gs have an additional obligation — that of memory. That is why the mission statement of GenShoah SWFL includes “Preservation of history and memories of the Holocaust.”

Membership in GenShoah is open to anyone who is interested in our mission statement, which also includes “Promotion of Holocaust education and human rights; connecting the second generation with one another; and Support of the Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center.” There are no fees or attendance requirements.

If you would like to receive the GenShoah newsletter and program announcements or volunteer to help with future programs, send an email to liebro@gmail.com. The GenShoah newsletter includes future GenShoah events, a fun Yiddish lesson, programs of community interest, and more.

GenShoah sponsors the film series, Movies that Matter. The last film, “The Invisible Class,” will be discussed via Zoom on Nov. 1. Visit www.hmcec.org to RSVP for the Zoom discussion. You will then receive information on how to watch the film.

Another upcoming program of community interest is the annual Kristallnacht Commemoration on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2:30 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church, 5225 Golden Gate Parkway, Naples. We are very fortunate that the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue of Collier County has presented this program for a number of years. This 85th Anniversary of Kristallnacht is an opportunity for community members to be reminded of the night that most historians recognize as the “beginning of the Holocaust.”

Please support this program and support our Holocaust Museum & Janet G. and Harvey D. Cohen Education Center. Plan a visit for yourself and a friend to the newly expanded and updated Museum, which reopens to the public on Nov. 4. You will be immersed in the history of the Holocaust, one of the most well-documented genocides in history, as well as learn more about other genocides and what we can all do to fight against bigotry and hate.