Queens Commemorates The Holocaust

As millions around the world, gentile and Jew alike, came out on April 18th to commemorate Yom HaShoah, a service that remembers the 6 million Jews murdered by Nazi Germany, thousands came out in Queens to keep the memory of those lost alive.
The Margaret Tietz Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Jamaica Hills, a facility established to care primarily for Holocaust survivors, hosted one Queens commemoration.
The only nursing facility in the world that has a Holocaust Torah, the centers residents and their families gathered to pay tribute to those who perished, to recall the earlier promise of the lives of those who perished, and to memorialize their deaths.
Tamar Luscher, a second generation Holocaust survivor, provided a link between the past and the future.
"You have before you a direct witness to the aftermath caused by the Holocaust," she said. "I am part of the second generation that has grown up observing the victim and the survivor, imbued with the love of her heritage and an educator immersed in tradition."
Rabbi Esor Ben Sorek, who conducted the religious portion of the service, said, "It is difficult to know how to respond. We want to understand, but there is no possibility of understanding. It challenges our faith in God, in religion, and most of all, our faith in humanity. The voices of six million cry out before God for justice."
Following the ceremony, six candles were lit to represent those who died, one for each million. Attendees were then free to light a candle for a loved one, including the children, the mothers, the fathers, the rabbis, the resistance fighters, and those who risked their lives to help Jews escape. Two candles were also lit in honor of the brave gentiles who died saving their Jewish neighbors and the Torah scroll possessed by the center.
The Queens Jewish Historical Society also hosted a commemoration at Forest Park. The ceremonies were held at the statue of Job, which was cast by Natan Rapoport, a WWII survivor, upon the 20th anniversary of the creation of the State of Israel.
Assemblyman Michael Cohen served as host and master of ceremonies.
"In remembering the Holocaust today, we look ahead to the future, to preclude a repetition of past events," Cohen said.
Rabbi Aryeh Sokoloff of the Kew Gardens Synagogue implored the crowd to draw strength from their ancestors.
"Live your lives as Jews," said Sokoloff. "Teach the Jewish religion to your children; make Judaism your way of lifebe proud of being Jewish."
Luscher echoed his sentiments: "Were here because were survivors and victims. My anger cant be snuffed out, but the joy of celebration of who I am and who our people are is redoubled in our jubilance. It is important to impart to so many who are very young that if they hear it and remember it, they will eventually understand."