Euroasian Jewish News

Almaty Commemorates Holocaust and Heroism Day

The Almaty Jewish community center hosted a rally dedicated to Holocaust Remembrance Day - Day of Heroism. “If we look at the essence of Jewry, the heroes who walked into the gas chambers and the heroes who stood armed against the Fascists did it to consecrate the name of the Almighty,” said Alexander Baron during the rally opening. Alexander Baron is the Mizvah Association of Jewish Communities and Organizations of Kazakhstan President and an Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Presidium member.

Rabbi Shevach Zlatopolsky read the kaddish, lighted the first memorial candle, and invited all who wished to light candles in memory of the Holocaust victims. Then excerpts from the documentary “Holocaust – Glue for Wallpaper?” were shown, and the story of the “Black Book” was told. At the end of the rally, the youth of Rimon danced a memorial dance.

Usually “Rimon” invites war veterans, prisoners of ghettoes and concentration camps, and those who lost relatives in the Holocaust to be guests of honor for Holocaust Memorial Day. This year, children were the guests of honor. As Alexander Baron noted, “It is important to do more than just preserve the memory of the Holocaust – we must pass it on to the next generation. This is the only way we can stop this tragedy from repeating itself.”