Commemorating Yom HaShoah

Today marks the date of Yom HaShoah, a day commemorating the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust and the heroism and strength that allowed others to survive. This morning we held a very special Yom HaShoah program for our middle school students and parents.  The ceremony opened with the "Kel Maleh Rachamim" (a prayer said in memory of those who perished), led by Rabbi Rudin.  Our fourth graders then took the stage and shared a beautiful presentation capturing the lives of Jewish children during the Holocaust. They recited poetry, sang beautiful songs and chanted the "Kadish".  Following this presentation , we had the privilege of hearing from Holocaust survivors, Alex and Judy Buchler (our very own Morah Edna's parents).  They shared with us their own stories about what it was like to be a child during the Holocaust; being torn from their homes, living in the ghettos and struggling to survive.  After the war, both Alex and Judy were blessed with emigrating to Israel where they met and married.  This program reminded as once again of the importance of learning about the Holocaust, listening to the stories of our grandparents and continuing to pass on those stories so we will never forget.