Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust Presents the Annual Gathering of Remembrance at Temple Emanu-El of New York City

By: TJVNews.com

The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust presented New York’s Annual Gathering of Remembrance at Temple Emanu-El of New York City on Sunday, April 12. The event takes place annually on the cusp of Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on April 13.

The event was part of the Museum’s Yom HaShoah tribute and serves the organization’s mission to “never forget” and honor the memory of those who were lost during the Holocaust, as well as survivors and their descendants. Amid an increase in antisemitic incidents, this memorial served as a reminder of the dangers of intolerance and envisions a brighter future.

The Annual Gathering of Remembrance program featured music, and remarks from Holocaust survivors, Museum President and CEO Jack Kliger, Museum Board Chair Daniel S. Loeb, Deputy Consul General of Israel in New York Tsach Saar, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, U.S. Congressman Daniel Goldman, New York City Comptroller Mark Levine, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, and Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman, as well as a moving candle-lighting ceremony. New York City Councilmember Gale Brewer also attended the event.

“The Annual Gathering of Remembrance brings our community together to reflect, to mourn, and to reaffirm our responsibility to memory,” said Jack Kliger, President and CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. “As antisemitism continues to surge, remembrance alone is not enough—we must pair it with education. Through events like this, the Museum works to ensure that Holocaust history is not only remembered, but understood, so that its lessons can guide future generations toward empathy, vigilance, and courage.”

“At a time when survivors, their families and Jews across the globe are confronting an alarming rise in antisemitism, it is imperative to come together to remember the past and recommit ourselves to building a strong Jewish community and future,” said Daniel S. Loeb, Chairman at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.

“On Yom HaShoah we come together to remember, remember the six million Jews wo were murdered, lives, families, entire worlds erased, remember the survivors who carried loss beyond words and chose still to rebuild, they are here with us today,” said Tsach Saar, Deputy Consul General of Israel in New York. “We in this room today must continue to stand united against baseless hatred and call it out no matter when or where before this is too late.”

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer noted that survivors, the living witnesses to one of the darkest chapters in history, are passing away. “The harsh reality of human nature is, as events in history receded further and further into the past, the harder it becomes to make them feel relevant to the present generation,” he said. “So, the importance of events like this annual remembrance cannot be overstated. We have to bear witness; we have to make the world bear witness.”

“Amidst a disturbing rise in antisemitism around the world and right here in New York, I am deeply grateful to the Museum of Jewish Heritage for preserving the memory of the six million lost in the Holocaust, and to the survivors, descendants, and families carrying on their legacy,” said Rep. Daniel Goldman. “We all have a responsibility to educate the next generation of Americans about the atrocities inflicted upon the Jewish people by the Nazis. As a member of Congress, I have always and will continue to fight to strengthen protections for Jewish students, organizations, and houses of worship, and to eliminate the scourge of antisemitism from our society.”

“On Yom HaShoah we remember and honor those who were killed by Nazi forces during the Holocaust – but this is more than a day to remember,” said New York City Comptroller Mark Levine. “As we commemorate, we also envision a future that leaves antisemitic sentiment and violence entirely in the past, and we take this moment to stand up against all forms of racism, bigotry and discrimination. With recent spikes in antisemitism in New York City and around the globe, this commitment is especially crucial to uphold, and I am proud to raise my voice alongside so many others today and say: ‘Zchor, never again!’”

“On Yom HaShoah, we come together with one collective voice to say: ‘We will never forget,” said New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin. “As the Council’s first Jewish Speaker, I am proud of our major new investments in Holocaust education, our plan to combat antisemitism, and my longstanding partnership with the Museum of Jewish Heritage. While those who were murdered by the Nazis, including my grandfather, cannot tell their stories — and the number of living Holocaust survivors is growing smaller — we will continue to ensure that their history is always remembered.”

Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman said, “As we gather for this Annual Gathering of Remembrance, we remember and honor the 6 million victims of the Holocaust. We will never forget. We must share stories of the Holocaust and its victims, particularly in a moment when fewer survivors are able to share their own. In these challenging times, we must understand the devastating consequences of unchecked hatred and join together to bring light.”

New York State Division of Human Rights Commissioner Denise M. Miranda, Esq. said, “Too often, we speak of the Holocaust as if it is ‘ancient history,’ a black-and-white chapter in a textbook. But the Holocaust ended only 81 years ago. It is a distance so short we can still reach out and touch the hands of those who witnessed it. And that is a stark reminder that the rise in antisemitism today poses a profound and immediate danger. And it demands an equally urgent response.”

More than 500 attendees also listened to an invocation by Temple Emanu-El Rabbi Amy B. Ehrlich, remarks from survivor Fred Schoenfeld and third generation survivor Elan Weinberger, as well as Seth Weisleder, who introduced the moving portion of the event where six survivors of the Holocaust, joined by family members, lit memorial candles.

The event was co-chaired by Museum Board members Rita Lerner and Ann Oster. “Coming together for the Annual Gathering of Remembrance is both an honor and a responsibility,” they said. “At a time when antisemitism and hate are once again on the rise, this gathering reminds us why memory matters. By honoring survivors and the lives lost, and by sharing their stories with new generations, we reaffirm our collective commitment to remember, to educate, and to stand united against hatred in all its forms.”

Attendees were treated to music and song by HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir and Fifth Avenue Synagogue Cantor Joseph Malovany, and Cantor Mira Davis, Assistant Cantor of the Park Avenue Synagogue, also led the Star Spangled Banner and Hatikvah. Producing and Production Management was provided by Bruce & Babette Roberts, Back Of House Productions.

The event was livestreamed at www.youtube.com/MuseumJewishHeritage.

A number of organizations partnered with the Museum: 3GNY, The Abraham Global Peace Initiative,  ADL New York/New Jersey, AJR, The Benjamin Ferencz Institute for Ethics, Human Rights & the Holocaust, The Blue Card, Center for Jewish History, The Center for Jewish Studies at the Graduate Center, CUNY, Generations of the Shoah International, HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir, Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center, Jewish Book Council, Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC), The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR), Kindertransport Association, Leo Baeck Institute, The New York Board of Rabbis, The Tarbut Foundation, Selfhelp Community Services,  We Are Here! Foundation, and Yiddish Book Center.

About The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust

The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is New York’s contribution to the global responsibility to Never Forget. Opened in 1997, the Museum is committed to the crucial mission of educating diverse visitors about Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust.

The Museum plays a leading role in Holocaust education in New York City and the tri-state area, serving many thousands of school children each year, with initiatives such as its Holocaust Educator School Partnership Program, professional development opportunities, its Speakers Bureau which enables conversations with survivors, and the creation of tools and resources such as the newly released Antisemitism FAQ Educator Resource to support educators in teaching about both historical and contemporary antisemitism.

The Museum’s current offerings include Art of Freedom: The Life & Work of Arthur Szyk, a focused study of celebrated anti-fascist artist Arthur Szyk and featuring a wide-ranging selection of Szyk’s prolific work; Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark, an exhibition about the extraordinary rescue of Denmark’s Jewish population in 1943, a story of mutual aid and communal upstanding in difficult times for visitors aged 9 and up; and The Holocaust: What Hate Can Do, a major exhibition offering a timely and expansive presentation of Holocaust history, on view in the main galleries.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage maintains the Peter & Mary Kalikow Jewish Genealogy Resource Center, a collection of almost 40,000 artifacts, photographs, documentary films, and survivor testimonies, and contains classrooms, a 375-seat theater (Edmond J. Safra Hall), special exhibition galleries, and a memorial art installation, Garden of Stones, designed by internationally acclaimed sculptor Andy Goldsworthy. The Museum also hosts LOX at Café Bergson an OU-certified café serving eastern European specialties.

Each year, the Museum presents over 100 public programs, connecting our community in person and virtually through lectures, book talks, concerts, and more. The museum provides free admission to Holocaust Survivors, active members of the military, first responders, New York City educators with current ID cards, and New York City public school K-12 students.

The Museum receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts. For more information, visit mjhnyc.org.