3 minute read
Planning for the future while knowing the past
By Ida Margolis and Shelley Lieb
GenShoah SWFL has concrete plans for the near future and conceptual plans for the more distant future. A complete listing of the programs for 2024-2025 can be found on the following page. Contact GenShoahSWFL@hmcec.com with any questions.
Growing up in a home of Holocaust survivors means always acknowledging the almost-death experience of your parents. We didn’t know many of our grandparents who were murdered. We carry their dreams. Now, as we arch toward the end of our ability to actively engage in Holocaust programs and events, it becomes evident that the second generation needs to use some of our energy to plan for inclusion of future generations.
GenShoah SWFL is doing some planning for that. We are exploring ideas that will engage younger members of the community and enhance their understanding of the Holocaust. We want to include them in the implementation and planning of current programs and expand our outreach to many different ages and beliefs.
Reaching out will require the involvement of more members. We are seeking input from our 2Gs and hope they will respond. Our knowledge and experience should not go unshared.
We already have many GenShoah members who share with the community. They are docents at the Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center in Naples. They respond when asked to speak at a school or event. They have written their parents' stories for the Museum's website. And we are grateful that they attend GenShoah events.
Here's a taste of the GenShoah SWFL program listing for 2025-2025 that highlights two members reaching out. And there are many others ...
Open House and New Member Reception
This event for all GenShoah members and survivors is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, 10 a.m. with Dina Shein presenting "The Bukharan Jews.”
"The Holocaust in Salonika, the Jerusalem of the Balkans"
On Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 2:30 p.m. Sam Varsano will share the dilemma of the Jewish community in Salonika and how they were selected for deportation during the Holocaust.
The community also reaches out to GenShoah in wonderful ways. Beth Tikvah of Naples is sponsoring an event in honor of GenShoah.
"Resistance: They Fought Back"
This film and reception to recognize GenShoah SWFL is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, 7 p.m. at Beth Tikvah of Naples. RSVP to office@bethtikvah.us is required.
Next year will be 80 years since the official end of WWII. Plenty of time to uncover the reality of what happened, including how the Jews responded to this horror, this procedure of Nazi genocide. We are finding out much more about the Jews who fought back.
Fighting back is being uncovered in other contexts as well. There was a recent news story reported on NPR's July 9 “Morning Edition” program about the purchase of a plantation house in Louisiana. It was purchased by Black twin sisters and turned into a museum that will tell the story of one of the largest slave revolts in U.S. history (1811). It is also known as the "German Coast Uprising," because this region along the Mississippi River was settled by German immigrants. Neither the irony — nor the parallel — in this story are lost.
History discovered is truth revealed. Truth revealed and shared is history discovered whether it is personal or global.
Remember you do not have to be a child of Holocaust survivors to join GenShoah. You only need an interest in our mission statement.
If you are interested, please email GenShoahSWFL@hmcec.org. You will always be welcome.
