04/21/2025
Yom Hashoah Ceremony to Highlight Stories from Survivor Generations
Holocaust survivor Harry Abraham with his granddaughter, Erica Hirsh. Submitted photo
ABIGAIL PREISZIG
Article reprinted with permission from Cleveland Jewish News
Sometimes it is difficult for Holocaust survivor Harry Abraham to retell his story, but he is on a life’s mission to not let the world forget.
For more than five decades, Abraham, 87, has partaken in the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and Kol Israel Foundation’s Yom Hashoah commemoration in addition to local and national Holocaust remembrance efforts, he told the Cleveland Jewish News.
“Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it,” Abraham, a Moreland Hills resident, paraphrased George Santayana, a Spanish-American philosopher and writer.
He and his granddaughter, Erica Hirsh, will be among many multigenerational members of Holocaust survivors’ families to tell their story during this year’s program at 6:30 p.m. April 23 at B’nai Jeshurun Congregation at 27501 Fairmount Blvd. in Pepper Pike.
The evening, themed “Then and Now,” will honor Cleveland’s Holocaust survivors and remember those who perished during Yom Hashoah V’Hagvurah.
“I am very lucky to still have my grandfather around, but unfortunately, as we know, with the aging population in Cleveland and around the world, survivors are passing away,” Hirsh, 37, event co-chair, told the CJN. “That’s why in my mind, too, it’s incredibly important to have future generations share their stories in these ways, in these community-wide commemorations of hundreds of people, but also in their own families (and) in their personal networks.”
The evening will feature candle lighting by Holocaust survivors and their families, the March of Generations, the procession of Holocaust-era Torah scrolls and remarks on connecting the past trauma of the Shoah to the current rise in antisemitism seen today by Sean Martin, curator for Jewish history at Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland.
Friedman
School-age children are also welcome to be a part of the commemoration by carrying an electric candle to start the evening, Lindsay Friedman, event co-chair and education director of Kol Israel, told the CJN.
“While the format remains similar to last year, with multigenerational storytelling of Holocaust survivors, our focus this year is on addressing the rise of antisemitism today,” she said. “By connecting the past with the present, we aim to raise awareness and inspire action to ensure that the horrors of the Holocaust are never repeated. Through sharing survivor stories and reflecting on current challenges, we emphasize the importance of standing against hatred in all its forms and committing to a future where such atrocities are unthinkable.”
Friedman, a Moreland Hills resident, is also the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor. She said her understanding of history and humanity was shaped by her grandmother’s experience and her stories are “not just about the past, they are a powerful tool for teaching empathy, resilience and the importance of standing up against injustice.”
“As survivors age and their voices become fewer, sharing these stories has become even more crucial,” Friedman said. “The next generation must hear these firsthand accounts to truly grasp the horrors of the Holocaust and the lessons it holds.”
Abraham was only 8 months old at the time, but he underscored the importance of Kristallnacht, or the “Night of Broken Glass,” where Jewish-owned businesses in Germany and Austria were vandalized and hosts a local panel discussion each November, he said. He also visits Germany to maintain the cemetery where his family members are buried and Holocaust monuments as well as meet with the townspeople and government and community leaders.
“It was so, so, pronounced that everybody in the whole world saw pictures of destruction in Germany and the hatred and the looting,” Abraham, who is a congregant of B’nai Jeshurun Congregation with his granddaughter, said of Kristallnacht. “They knew things were changing and did virtually nothing. That’s the big thing about Kristallnacht and remembering and being there for each other that I’ve been pushing all these years, including when I go to Germany.”
Today, it is just as important for the world to remember the Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel by Hamas and how the war in Israel began, he said. Acknowledging the tragedies in both Israel and Gaza, he said “it’s a difficult thing,” but “if Jews don’t stick together, who’s going to care for them?”
Hirsh, a Solon resident, said she has gained a greater understanding and meaning of her family’s story through her involvement in the annual commemoration and hopes her children will eventually participate as well. This year, her oldest daughter, Lena Hirsh, 8, Abraham’s great-granddaughter, will accompany them during the event.
“It’s so important not just on Yom Hashoah but all the time to remember,” she said. “Of course, it’s difficult to talk about, but to think about what an inspiration it has been and, as he mentioned, the correlation between what happened and what’s going on in Israel.”
The event is free and open to the community.
For more information and to register, visit jewishcleveland.org.
