Jacob and Jeannette Geldwert were survivors of the Holocaust who moved to Ithaca after World War II. For many years, they worked side by side at Jake's Red & White Market on Court Street. Now, the memory of the Geldwerts will live on in Ithaca through a gift from their children that will fund an annual Holocaust memorial lecture in the community. The annual event began in 2015, and Jacob died on the day of the second Holocaust commemoration lecture at Temple Beth-El on May 5, 2016. Jeannette died in 2013.
The Geldwert's children, Josef and his wife Janice, and Ella and her husband Jesse Levy, hope their gift will make possible a continuing public commemoration marking Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, in Ithaca. The event has featured Holocaust survivors who have spoken to standing-room-only audiences from across the region.
According to Josef Geldwert, "For many years my father and mother spoke to the children in the Ithaca area schools as well as to those of the Cornell and Ithaca College communities about their experiences during the Holocaust. While always painful to revisit their personal horrors during the Holocaust, our parents felt it was important for the community to have this personal reference to this horrible time in world history and to provide a lasting impact on the memories of those who listened to their stories. We are so pleased to honor our parents' memories with a gift to the Geldwert Holocaust Memorial Lecture series."
The fund supporting the Jacob and Jeannette Geldwert Holocaust Memorial Lecture will be administered by the Ithaca Area United Jewish Community. Additional support for this community fund will be gratefully accepted. Please click here to make a donation. The IAUJC will also be responsible for the organization of the annual commemorations.
