Announcements

Dear Beth El Family,

As Yom HaShoah approaches, we once again pause to remember the six million Jews – including one and a half million children – who were murdered in the Holocaust. This solemn day demands that we reflect on the atrocities committed against our people to ensure that “Never Again” is not just a phrase, but a lived responsibility.

Each year, we return to this painful history not only because it’s our duty to remember, but because remembering is a holy act in and of itself. In recalling the horrors of the Shoah, we honor the lives that were lost, the resilience of those who survived, and the legacy we all carry forward. Remembering the Shoah also reaffirms the duty we have to confront the hatred of Jews, especially in this moment of such heightened antisemitism, with Israel still at war, and Israeli hostages still being held captive. 

Our sacred obligation to remember is at the heart of a beautiful poem written by Aharon Bas, which serves as a meditation on remembering the Shoah, especially in a post-October 7th world: 

“Remember what Amalek did to you
on your journey, after you left Egypt
how he surprised you on the march
and when you were on European soil
in the gas chambers and incinerators
in ghettos that are crying in pain
and while sitting in the envelope towns
how he pursued and captured and tortured and murdered
from youth to the elderly
from toddler to old
children and women in one day
Remember
Remember and never forget”

As the number of Holocaust survivors continues to dwindle, our obligation to hear and preserve their stories becomes ever more urgent. Their testimonies remain a bridge between past and future – reminders of the fragility of life, and the strength of the human spirit. We must listen, record, and share their words so that they are never forgotten.

We invite you to join us for this year’s Yom HaShoah tekes (ceremony) this Thursday evening, April 24th at 6:30pm. The evening will include prayer, music, candle lighting, and memory, as we gather to hear the survival story of our congregant Paul Diament, as shared by his son Benjamin. We will then continue our sacred responsibility to remember the following week, on Yom HaZikaron, April 30th, 2025 beginning at 7:00pm. We will gather together for a powerful Yom HaZikaron tekes, honoring Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism, before transitioning to a beautiful and uplifting Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration with Hallel and an Israeli pop-music dance party. Please join us.

L'Shalom,

Rabbi David A. Schuck
Rabbi Zachary Sitkin
Rabbi Viki Bedo
Cantor Gaby Schvartz​​​​​​​

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