By Gilan Gertz
On Yom Hashoah, the Benjamin Library hosted an English-language program for the general public. Produced by Rabbi Gene Kwalwasser, in conjunction with the 55+ club, the program filled an important niche in the Bet Shemesh community. For the sixth consecutive year, the Benjamin Library has added value to the local community through its Holocaust programming.
The event drew a large crowd of attendees, many of whom were seniors who appreciated the opportunity to commemorate the Shoah in their mother tongue. Two local schools took advantage of this unique program: Ulpanat Noga’s ninth grade English speakers class attended, and Yeshivat Ashreinu sent students who are learning in Israel during their gap year.
The theme of the evening was ‘Memories: Journals and Diaries of Children During the Holocaust.’ Rabbi Kwalwasser opened the program by addressing the difficult question of why a population was destroyed. He emphasized that anti-Semitism is unlikely to disappear, but Torah and belief in G-d will sustain the Jewish people. His comments were followed by a candle lighting ceremony, in which six community members lit candles in memory of relatives who had perished in the Shoah.
The ceremony continued with dramatic readings of children’s recordings of the Holocaust. Community representatives read aloud poems written by children interred in the Terezin Concentration Camp, as well as entries from the diaries of three different teenagers who were ultimately killed in the Holocaust. The final reading, comprised of selections from Rav Yisrael Meir Lau’s book, ‘Out of the Depths,’ brought many to tears, as he described his experiences in concentration camps at the tender age of seven. The readings were interspersed with haunting music and images.
This event deepened the meaning of Yom Hashoah for many in the Bet Shemesh Anglo community. Thanks to the Benjamin Library and the 55+ club for presenting an effective program.
