Holocaust

80 Years Ago Today, Buchenwald was Liberated by U.S. Troops

In 2019, the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation proposed to the Buchenwald Memorial, the German authorities who ran the Buchenwald Concentration Camp historical site, a memorial honoring the American liberators of the camp.  There was none heretofore. JASHP would pay for it. [Jerry Klinger]

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Holocaust, International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

‘Echoes’ Dramatizes Learning about the Holocaust from Students’ Perspectives

The play opens in a classroom where the kids are learning about the Holocaust and one of the kids says that it was just a hoax. Then another one of the kids answers that her great-aunts Irene and Edith are survivors and that it’s not a hoax.  Later in the play, we learn the true story about how actor Sophia Melamed’s aunts were reunited after the Holocaust. [Sandi Masori]

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Holocaust, Sandi Masori

75 UCSD Students Petition for More Contemporary Jewish Studies Courses

Seventy-five students at UC San Diego signed a letter to the administration and faculty requesting that more Jewish studies courses be offered in the upcoming term.  The letter, to which Kyle Gilbert a junior majoring in political science was the lead signer, is printed below. [SDJW staff]

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Antisemitism, California, Holocaust, Israel, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Hungarian Jewish Family’s Distinguished Genealogy Traced Back 300 Years

Author Linda Ambrus Broenniman knew her parents had immigrated after World War II from Hungary and she thought they were both raised Catholic. She didn’t know that her father, Julian Ambrus, was brought up Jewish, nor that her mother, Clara, risked her life to save Jews during the Holocaust. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Holocaust Survivor Edith Eger Wins 2nd Writing Award

Holocaust survivor and author Dr. Edith Eger won her second Christopher Award for the book “The Ballerina of Auschwitz.” (Cailin Acosta)

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Cailin Acosta, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food

Community to Gather April 27 for Holocaust Commemoration

In solemn remembrance of the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust and in honor of those who survived, Jewish Federation of San Diego, the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, and Jewish Community Foundation San Diego will host the annual Yom HaShoah: Community Holocaust Commemoration on Sunday, April 27, 2025, at 1 p.m, at the Lawrence Family JCC | JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS in La Jolla. [Press Release]

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Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Press Release, San Diego County

Jewish Biography: Samuel Marshak, Soviet Children’s Writer

His poems were enjoyed by all Soviet children. Marshak’s poetry for children is a world of goodness, fun, fairy tales, original images and ringing, beautiful rhymes.  He was an innovator, the creator of energetic, major, fast, inventive, cheerful and witty children’s verse. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors

‘The Trunk’ is a Poignant Story of the Holocaust

Prior to dictator Benito Mussolini’s alliance with Adolf Hitler, Italian Jews had the ability to immigrate to the West or even to neighboring Switzerland, which maintained a German-biased neutrality. However, lugging the trunk, which Vigevani nicknamed “The General” was an arduous affair, especially because Vigevani was reluctant to depart his beloved Italy. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Righteous Gentile’s Story Appended to Some Haggadahs

In a courageous act, Stroe handed Hamburg her own identity documents, including her birth and baptism certificates. These papers allowed Hamburg to evade the ghetto deportation and flee the city. She went to Budapest, where she survived by posing as a Christian, relying on Stroe’s documents. [Press Release]

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Holocaust, International, Jewish Religion, Press Release

Words of Survivors Will Live on, Though Survivors Will Pass

Although Mary grew up with a secular upbringing in Budapest, she responded “in the camps I prayed. I prayed and I knew God was listening. My mother, a non-religious woman, told me that this is the story of our people- we suffer but have lived through it and have gotten this far- we will continue to survive and live a beautiful life when we’re out of here.” [Ilanit Zakowski]

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Antisemitism, Holocaust, Ilanit Zakowski, International, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

OpEd: Standing Together Against Antisemitism: A Victory in El Cajon

The IHRA definition brings much-needed relevance to the conversation, equipping organizations and governments with a practical framework to identify and respond to antisemitism in all its modern forms. StandWithUs is spearheading the initiative to bring IHRA to San Diego, one of the few large cities in the USA that has not yet adopted the definition. [Dan Pritsker}

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Antisemitism, Holocaust, International, Israel, Opinion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Actor Guy Pearce is Ill-Informed about Israel and Gaza

When he adorned his suit lapel with a “Free Palestine” pin in early March, I had to wonder if he deserved his nomination for best supporting actor in The Brutalist. Did he need to do any acting to portray an antisemitic industrialist? [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Antisemitism, Bruce Ticker, Holocaust, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA