Ithaca Area United Jewish Community, with the assistance of the Jewish Federation of North America, hosted its 2021 Annual Holocaust Commemoration as a virtual program.
We honored second-generation descendants of survivors, Gale Halpern and Rita Melen, for their work with the Holocaust Speaker's Bureau in Ithaca. Gale and Rita spoke of their family histories and their work at the Speaker's Bureau.
Yom HaShoah was commemorated with a virtual candle lighting ceremony which included Ann Racker Costello, Shani Abel, Hadar Elor, Rachel Levy, Gabriel Lewenstein and Carl Zabel. These are all descendents who have connections to Ithaca.
Our program included a discussion of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) Holocaust Survivor Initiative, led by Shelly Wernick, Managing Director.
Video:
The recording of the event can be found at https://youtu.be/4Wxeb5M-zBQ
