The annual Yom HaShoah Commemoration and State of Kansas Holocaust Commemoration are scheduled for April 12 and 20, respectively.
The two events will honor the memory of the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust and the legacy of survivors. They are supported by the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education (MCHE).
Yom HaShoah Commemoration
The Yom HaShoah Commemoration will take place at 1:30 p.m. on April 12 at The White Theatre at The J (5801 W. 115th St., Overland Park, KS 66211).
This year the commemoration is chaired by Geri Crain, daughter of Holocaust survivor Alice Kern, a survivor from Sighet, Romania, who was interned in Auschwitz-Birkenau and Bergen-Belsen. The commemoration will feature a special tribute to the survivors with the children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors — the second and third generation — singing “Zog Nit Keynmol” with the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy choir.
Reflecting on the importance of Yom Hashoah, Kern said, “Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate, wrote, ‘Because I remember, I despair. Because I remember, I have the duty to reject despair.’ My mother and Elie knew one another in Sighet, Romania, before they were deported. Yom Hashoah is a time to honor those who did not survive, and it is also a moment to come together — to reject despair in their memory and to affirm hope for generations to come.”
The Yom Hashoah commemoration is open to the public. Anyone unable to attend in person is invited to watch the livestream on the MCHE Kansas City YouTube channel.
The commemoration is organized by The J, Jewish Community Relations Bureau | American Jewish Committee and MCHE. Supporting organizations include Congregation Beth Shalom, Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, Jewish Community Foundation, Jewish Family Services, Jewish Vocational Services, KU Hillel, Lawrence Jewish Community Center, Kehilath Israel Synagogue, The New Reform Temple and The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah.
Kansas Holocaust Commemoration
The Kansas Holocaust Commemoration will take place at 1 p.m. on April 20 at the Topeka Civic Theater (3028 S.W. 8th Ave., Topeka, KS 66606).
Governor Laura Kelly will present the Kansas Proclamation for the Days of Remembrance which includes that “the people of the State of Kansas should always remember the terrible events of the Holocaust and remain vigilant against hatred, persecution and tyranny…”
Dr. Judy Jacobs, a Hungarian survivor from Budapest, will deliver the keynote address. Dr. Jacobs left Hungary on the Kastner train and survived incarceration at Bergen-Belsen before reaching safety in Switzerland.
Kansas clergy, political leaders and students will participate in the program. Holocaust survivors, World War II veterans, and second-generation sons and daughters will be recognized. The commemoration is open to the public and to school audiences.
Registration is requested at mchekc.org/kansas-holocaust-commemoration. A video of the commemoration will be available on the MCHE Kansas City YouTube channel in the days following the program.