Yom ha-Shoah observance in New Bedford

This year, the New Bedford area observance of  Yom ha-Shoah, the Holocaust Day of Remembrance, takes place on  April 23. At 6:30 p.m. there will be a short memorial service at the Holocaust Memorial in Buttonwood Park with special tribute to the children who survived the concentration camps and those who liberated the camps 72 years ago.

After the service, participants will walk with lighted candles to Tifereth Israel Congregation for a program dedicated to the late Elie Wiesel who died July 2, 2016.

This year’s  speaker is Rabbi Joseph Polak, one of the last witnesses to the Shoah and one of the youngest, a child survivor of Bergen-Belsen. Polak taught at Boston University and was a colleague of Elie Wiesel. Wiesel wrote the foreword to Polak’s book, “After the Holocaust the Bells Still Ring.” There will be a reception after the program with an opportunity to meet with Polak and view student artwork. Wiesel’s books and letters will also be on display.

– Submitted by Cynthia Yoken