Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial Cemetery


DIRECTIONS TO EMEK SHOLOM HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL CEMETERY

Richmond's North-side, within Forest Lawn Cemetery
4000 Pilots Lane, Richmond, VA 23222

195-N or 64-E to Laburnum exit
Laburnum 2.5 miles to Alma Ave.
Left on Alma Ave. 1 block; enter gates of Forest Lawn
1st left onto "South Way" - 1 block; Right on "Crescent Lane"
Continue 3 blocks to the end.


Mission Statement!

Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial Cemetery is the final resting place for persons of the Jewish faith who have physical and/or emotional ties to the Holocaust, and their families. Its primary goal is to memorialize victims of the Holocaust, whose descendants live(d) in the greater Richmond area, through maintaining the historic Holocaust Memorial landmark, and promoting Holocaust education.

Adopted at Annual Meeting March 9, 2003; amended Board Meeting January 11, 2012.

History

On November 6, 1955, the New American Jewish Club of Richmond, a group of immigrants and survivors of the Nazi purge of European Jewry, unveiled a monument. These new residents of the United States pooled their meager resources and constructed this memorial to 200 family members who had perished in the Holocaust and whose final resting places will forever be unknown.
Image of the dedication of the Emek Sholom Memorial in 1955
November 6, 1955 - Dedication of the Emek Sholom Memorial.

The original Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial consisted of two panels of names and a central stone. It is one of the first Holocaust memorials in North America. In 1998, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources recognized its uniqueness and listed it as a Historic Landmark in Virginia. The following year, the U.S. Department of the Interior placed it on the National Register of Historic Places.

On November 7, 1999, two flanking panels, bearing 237 additional names, were dedicated by new members of the Richmond Jewish community to memorialize their family members who perished in the Holocaust. By 2010, addition names filled the remaining spaces bringing the total number of names on the memorial to 459.

The Jewish cemetery, where the Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial is located (Section A), is a burial ground for 175 Holocaust survivors, their descendants and others who have physical or emotional ties to the Holocaust or a desire to make this their final resting place. The cemetery is located within Forest Lawn Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia.

In response to a demand for more graves, funds were raised to match a generous gift from the Nathaniel Krumbein family for the purchase of land directly across the road, adding 96 graves (Section B) to the Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial Cemetery. This new area was consecrated on April 8, 2007, and it appears on the map below.

50 Sold — 0 Reserved — 14 Interred — 46 Available — 96 Total
19 - 1
19 - 2
19 - 3
19 - 4
19 - 5
19 - 6
17 - 1 17 - 12
17 - 2 17 - 11
17 - 3 17 - 10
17 - 4 17 - 9
17 - 5 17 - 8
17 - 6 17 - 7
18 - 1 18 - 12
18 - 2 18 - 11
18 - 3 18 - 10
18 - 4 18 - 9
18 - 5 18 - 8
18 - 6 18 - 7
1 - 1 1 - 12
1 - 2 1 - 11
1 - 3 1 - 10
1 - 4 1 - 9
1 - 5 1 - 8
1 - 6 1 - 7
2 - 1 2 - 12
2 - 2 2 - 11
2 - 3 2 - 10
2 - 4 2 - 9
2 - 5 2 - 8
2 - 6 2 - 7
3 - 1 3 - 12
3 - 2 3 - 11
3 - 3 3 - 10
3 - 4 3 - 9
3 - 5 3 - 8
3 - 6 3 - 7
4 - 1 4 - 12
4 - 2 4 - 11
4 - 3 4 - 10
4 - 4 4 - 9
4 - 5 4 - 8
4 - 6 4 - 7
8 - 1 8 - 12
8 - 2 8 - 11
8 - 3 8 - 10
8 - 4 8 - 9
8 - 5 8 - 8
8 - 6 8 - 7
7 - 1 7 - 12
7 - 2 7 - 11
7 - 3 7 - 10
7 - 4 7 - 9
7 - 5 7 - 8
7 - 6 7 - 7
6 - 1 6 - 12
6 - 2 6 - 11
6 - 3 6 - 10
6 - 4 6 - 9
6 - 5 6 - 8
6 - 6 6 - 7
5 - 1 5 - 12
5 - 2 5 - 11
5 - 3 5 - 10
5 - 4 5 - 9
5 - 5 5 - 8
5 - 6 5 - 7
9 - 1 9 - 12
9 - 2 9 - 11
9 - 3 9 - 10
9 - 4 9 - 9
9 - 5 9 - 8
9 - 6 9 - 7
10 - 1 10 - 12
10 - 2 10 - 11
10 - 3 10 - 10
10 - 4 10 - 9
10 - 5 10 - 8
10 - 6 10 - 7
11 - 1 11 - 12
11 - 2 11 - 11
11 - 3 11 - 10
11 - 4 11 - 9
11 - 5 11 - 8
11 - 6 11 - 7
12 - 1 12 - 12
12 - 2 12 - 11
12 - 3 12 - 10
12 - 4 12 - 9
12 - 5 12 - 8
12 - 6 12 - 7
16 - 1 16 - 12
16 - 2 16 - 11
16 - 3 16 - 10
16 - 4 16 - 9
16 - 5 16 - 8
16 - 6 16 - 7
15 - 1 15 - 12
15 - 2 15 - 11
15 - 3 15 - 10
15 - 4 15 - 9
15 - 5 15 - 8
15 - 6 15 - 7
14 - 1 14 - 12
14 - 2 14 - 11
14 - 3 14 - 10
14 - 4 14 - 9
14 - 5 14 - 8
14 - 6 14 - 7
13 - 1 13 - 12
13 - 2 13 - 11
13 - 3 13 - 10
13 - 4 13 - 9
13 - 5 13 - 8
13 - 6 13 - 7

Cemetery Map - Section B


50 Sold — 0 Reserved — 14 Interred — 46 Available — 96 Total
19 - 1
19 - 2
19 - 3
19 - 4
19 - 5
19 - 6
17 - 1 17 - 12
17 - 2 17 - 11
17 - 3 17 - 10
17 - 4 17 - 9
17 - 5 17 - 8
17 - 6 17 - 7
18 - 1 18 - 12
18 - 2 18 - 11
18 - 3 18 - 10
18 - 4 18 - 9
18 - 5 18 - 8
18 - 6 18 - 7
1 - 1 1 - 12
1 - 2 1 - 11
1 - 3 1 - 10
1 - 4 1 - 9
1 - 5 1 - 8
1 - 6 1 - 7
2 - 1 2 - 12
2 - 2 2 - 11
2 - 3 2 - 10
2 - 4 2 - 9
2 - 5 2 - 8
2 - 6 2 - 7
3 - 1 3 - 12
3 - 2 3 - 11
3 - 3 3 - 10
3 - 4 3 - 9
3 - 5 3 - 8
3 - 6 3 - 7
4 - 1 4 - 12
4 - 2 4 - 11
4 - 3 4 - 10
4 - 4 4 - 9
4 - 5 4 - 8
4 - 6 4 - 7
8 - 1 8 - 12
8 - 2 8 - 11
8 - 3 8 - 10
8 - 4 8 - 9
8 - 5 8 - 8
8 - 6 8 - 7
7 - 1 7 - 12
7 - 2 7 - 11
7 - 3 7 - 10
7 - 4 7 - 9
7 - 5 7 - 8
7 - 6 7 - 7
6 - 1 6 - 12
6 - 2 6 - 11
6 - 3 6 - 10
6 - 4 6 - 9
6 - 5 6 - 8
6 - 6 6 - 7
5 - 1 5 - 12
5 - 2 5 - 11
5 - 3 5 - 10
5 - 4 5 - 9
5 - 5 5 - 8
5 - 6 5 - 7
9 - 1 9 - 12
9 - 2 9 - 11
9 - 3 9 - 10
9 - 4 9 - 9
9 - 5 9 - 8
9 - 6 9 - 7
10 - 1 10 - 12
10 - 2 10 - 11
10 - 3 10 - 10
10 - 4 10 - 9
10 - 5 10 - 8
10 - 6 10 - 7
11 - 1 11 - 12
11 - 2 11 - 11
11 - 3 11 - 10
11 - 4 11 - 9
11 - 5 11 - 8
11 - 6 11 - 7
12 - 1 12 - 12
12 - 2 12 - 11
12 - 3 12 - 10
12 - 4 12 - 9
12 - 5 12 - 8
12 - 6 12 - 7
16 - 1 16 - 12
16 - 2 16 - 11
16 - 3 16 - 10
16 - 4 16 - 9
16 - 5 16 - 8
16 - 6 16 - 7
15 - 1 15 - 12
15 - 2 15 - 11
15 - 3 15 - 10
15 - 4 15 - 9
15 - 5 15 - 8
15 - 6 15 - 7
14 - 1 14 - 12
14 - 2 14 - 11
14 - 3 14 - 10
14 - 4 14 - 9
14 - 5 14 - 8
14 - 6 14 - 7
13 - 1 13 - 12
13 - 2 13 - 11
13 - 3 13 - 10
13 - 4 13 - 9
13 - 5 13 - 8
13 - 6 13 - 7

Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial Cemetery is a qualifying charity under IRS section 501(c)(3)
and all contributions are tax deductible for both Federal and State purposes.

This is a two part process. (Only complete part two if you are making a donation today)

1. Please submit the questionnaire form below for our records.

2. After submitting the above form, if you are donating today, please click the Paypal link below.

Thank you for your support!

Contacts

Benjamin Kutner, Co-President, Tel: 804-476-9080, email Ben Kutner
Cookie Solodar, Co-President, Tel: 804-794-3415, email Cookie Solodar


Board Members

2015 - 2016

Officers:
Co-President: Lenora "Cookie" Solodar
Co-President: Benjamin Kutner
Vice President: Alex Keisch
Recording Secretary: Ira Korshin
Corresponding Secretary: Fay Kessier
Treasurer: Benjamin Kutner


Directors:
Dianna Gabay
Ben Ipson
Cindy Krumbein
Gaby Heller
Inge Horowitz
Jay Ipson
Rachel Loria
Roger Loria


By-Laws

By-Laws Jan 11 2012.doc





Audio Recording of Names on the Memorial:    

Holocaust survivors or their children reading the names, including their own family members.




Holocaust Memorial - The Names of 460 Victims



Julia Kaufmann
Meyer Hirsch
Regina K. Hirsch
Hedwig H. Sann
Moritz I. Buchdahl
Martha H. Buchdahl
Ingeborg Buchdahl
Moses Baer Ita Brandman
Nussen Brandman
Xena Berenshteyn
Sora-Rifka Rabinowitz
Berel Rabinowitz & their descendants
Chana Kapusta
Yossel Kapusta Family members of Marton and Bella Weiss Jacob Dreyfuss
Ida B. Dreyfuss Hanna Simon
Frieda Simon
Maly S. Hirschbaum
Michael Silbermann
Klara F. Silbermann
Hanna Silbermann Leibus Gorlicky
Dywoira Cytryn-Gorlicky
Bluma Cytryn
Israel Cytryn Albert Rose
Sophie Rose
Irma Rose Baruch Lerner-Lamdany
Pola Lerner-Lamdany
Wolf Reiser
Chana-Tzipe Reiser
Peschy Reiser
Itzhak Ponieman Baruch Lerner-Lamdany
Pola Lerner-Lamdany
Wolf Reiser
Chana-Tzipe Reiser
Peschy Reiser
Itzhak Ponieman Azril Krasnopolsky Jolan P. Fried
Laszlo Fried
Joszef Fried
Herman Kupferstein
Ella P. Weisz
Andor Weisz
Tibor Weisz
Jeno Perlstein
Rozsa P. Farkas
Zoltan Farkas
Menyhert Farkas
David Farkas
Lajos Farkas
Viktor Farkas
Geza Perlstein
Polla Perlstein
Istvan Perlstein
Klara P. Bistric Josef Tannenbaum Meshel Appelroit
Berel Appelroit
Pearl Appelroit
Sarah Appelroit
Shmuel Appelroit
Shandel Appelroit
Glika Appelroit Efraim Boxenhorn
Sima Boxenhorn
Regina Cziring
Hedi Cziring
Emma Schwartz
Tibor Schwartz
Janos Schwartz
Anna Schwartz
Josef Schwartz
Otto Schwartz
Helena Schwartz
Lilly Moskovicz
Marika Moskovicz Joseph Fayman
Sarah W. Fayman Boris M. Bumagin
Vera I. Bumagina Adolf Hanau Sally Bukofzer
Pauline G. Bukofzer
Max Hirsch
Paula J. Hirsch Chava Falk
Marcus Falk
Sara Horowitz
Zalman Horowitz Leopold Hamburger
Margarette Hamburger
Rivka H. Itzkowitz
Fishel Itzkowitz
Mendel Wiatrak
Ester A. Wiatrak Leibish Lebensbaum
Devorah Lebensbaum
Baruch Lebensbaum
Tzesia Lebensbaum
Chaim Wichtel
Mania Wichtel Hillel Levitansky
Doba Levitansky
Lisa Levitansky Benjamin Talkowski
Rivka Talkowski
Josef Talkowski
Nissan Talkowski Jacob Moskowitz
Morris Moskowitz Samuel Loria
Hinda H. Loria
Wolf Loria
Yechiel Loria
Ariyeh Loria
Rachel Loria
Gusti L. Schreiber
Joseph Maisel
Paul Gottlieb
Anna M. Gottlieb
Regina Gottlieb Alexander Keisch
Walter Germann Max Benedek David Blumenthal
Lina Blumenthal Rosalia Brandeis
Gisella Brandeis
Theodor Grun
Naftali Brandeis Emanual Kahn
Fanny Kahn Majlech S. Brodecki
Roma Brodecki
Helena Brodecki
Josef Piekarski
Miriam Piekarska
Lolek Piekarski Herman Brummer
Rosa Brummer Julius Frankenstein
Rosalie Frankenstein Moritz Scheiber
Sarolta Scheiber
Regine Drexler
Oskar Drexler
Norbert Drexler Max Nothmann
Adele Nothmann
Vera Nothmann
Cilly Hirschland
Max Gallewski
Regina Gallewski
Wilhelm Durra
Clara Durra Henriette Ginsberg
Sally Hammerstein
Hedwig Hammerstein Itzek Grabinski
Michla Grabinski
Ruchel Grabinski
Rafael Grabinski
Boaz Grabinski
Fawel Grabinski
Michael Grabinski
Chanine Szulman
Chaja Szulman
Benjamin Teper
Ruchel Teper Sally Grunebaum
Regina Grunebaum
Mathilde Grunebaum
Leopold Grunebaum Dorothea Hirsch Walter Grunewald
Max Grunewald
Gustav Neuwahl
Fritz Neuwahl
Tony Frolich Irma Gunzburg Jenny Hamburger
Lotte Hamburger Markus Ruff
Julius Hornung
Rosa Hornung
Lotka Hornung
Isak Waller
Abraham Waller Preidel Ip
Tone Ip
Dora Ip
Golde Ip
Mascha Ip
Jacob Ip
Chananie Butrimovitz
Ester Butrimovitz
Mine Butrimovitz
Chaim Butrimovitz
Feivel Butrimovitz Hedwig Levistein Leja R. Hirsch
Chaim O. Hirsch Leopold Katz
Sarah Katz
Dina Katz
Malchen Katz
Adolf Katz Frieda Brunner
Wolf Silberstein
Minna Abrahamsohn Pauline Kohn
David Ambach
Fanny Ambach
Betty Fruhauf Simon Koch
Emma Koch
Else Kern
Gertrud Kern Fritz Stein
Lina Kahn Isaak M. Kutner
Henna Kutner
Fajga Talkowska Julia Kaufmann
Willi Jarecki
Eva Jarecki Erna Luebke Gotlibs
Nicolas Gotlibs
Recha Luebke Erna Luebke Gotlibs
Nicolas Gotlibs
Recha Luebke Szloma L. Maizels
Brucha Maizels
Szaja Maizels
Ita R. Maizels
Moszek G. Ajdelsztajn
Zlata H. Ajdelsztajn
Alter Ajdelsztajn Samuel Wolf
Selma Wolf
Helene Levi
Joseph Levi
Emanuel Ehrlich Benno Seligmann
Johanna Seligmann Mera Sarapej
Michel Sarapej Natan Moszkowicz
Chaje Moszkowicz
Majer Moszkowicz
Mendel Moszkowicz Rufolf Gmeiner
Kamilla Gmeiner
Elsa Neumann Alice Oppenheimer
Ernst Oppenheimer Arnold Rosenthal
Nathan Rosenthal
Minna Rosenthal Tony Schulhof
Max Spanier
Heinz Spanier Nathan Lebenstein
Lotte Lebenstein Leopold Stern
Ida Stern Moritz Liebermann
Vally Liebermann Louis Thalheimer Aron M. Tabacznik
Ryvka B. Tabacznik
Icchok M. Tabacznik
Ajdel C. Tabacznik
Mojsze B. Tabacznik
Jite Tabacznik
Menachem Tabacznik
Eljah Tabacznik
Chaje Tabacznik
Jente Tabacznik Sally Rosenberg
Henny Rosenberg Josef Verstandig
Marcus Verstandig
Max Verstandig
Sigmund Verstandig Rosa Weihs
Robert Weihs
Berta Wand
Salo Wand Leo Weiss
Wilhelm Reisberg Thea Stein Blumenthal
Walter Blumenthal
Elsa S. Camnitzer Albert Heimann
Frieda Heimann
Paul Schuler
Clothilde L. Schuler
Heinz E. Schuler
Karl Treidel
Selma W. Treidel
Walter Treidel
Jeanette Windmuller
Abraham Windmuller
Gertrud H. Windmuller
Ruth M. Windmuller
Grete B. Mathias
Heine Mathias
Max "Cor" Windmuller Josef Wolff
Clara Wolff
Albert Heymann
Helene Heymann Menachem Ziemniak
Szajna Ziemniak
Hiller Ziemniak
Rywka Ziemniak
Zielonka L. Ziemniak
Abraham J. Ziemniak
Josef L. Ziemniak
Rafael Ziemniak
Fela Ziemniak
Ester Ziemniak
Fajga Ziemniak
Jacob Ziemniak
Salomon Dreksler
Regina Dreksler Sarah K. Maizels Boruch Manelis
Donna Hitron Mintsya Stolyar
Sheftel Stolyar Chaim S. Khatskevich Israel Moszkowicz Sigfried Reinhardt Haym Fridman Yosel Pasternak
Hana Pasternak Sonya Perelman
Schmaya Perelman Idl Schwartsman
Khaya Schwartsman
Yakov Schwartsman
Berta Schwartsman The Bieler Family Dora H. Bock Isak Konovalov & 11 Family members Hanna "Oma" Kats Herman Lismann Nannette L. Gross
Bernhard Gross Ludwig Bonyhadi
Gertrude I. Bonyhadi
Edgar Bonyhadi
Mellie Bonyhadi
Ottilia G. Loewit Ludwig Bonyhadi
Gertrude I. Bonyhadi
Edgar Bonyhadi
Mellie Bonyhadi
Ottilia G. Loewit Adolf Rothfeld
Clara W. Rothfeld Moisze L. Golub
Sarah G. Golub
Bella Golub
Simon Golub Yaker Serebrennik
Pessia Serebrennik
Fanya Serebrennik
Enka Podolski & 3 children Haya Vaynblat
Anna Sher Rosi R. Kleeblatt
Arthur Kleeblatt
Joseph J. Thalheimer
Cilly W. Rindskopf
Wilhelm Rindskopf
Kurt Rindskopf
Walter Thalheimer
Rachel Singer
Felicita Singer
Adi Singer
Erna M. Singer
Bernhardt Singer
Israel Regenbogen
Dinka S. Regenbogen
Betty Regenbogen
Joseph Regenbogen
Heinrich Regenbogen
Marliese Regenbogen
Fellie S. Bergoffen
Jacob Bergoffen Chaim Juda Lachs Irma S. Huppert
Ferdinand Huppert
Leopold Huppert
Sophie N. Schlesinger
Hermine S. Klein
Gisa S. Pressburger
Frieda S. Klein Leah J. Capeiko
Lewis Capeiko Chaja S. Singer
Joseph Singer
Brucha Shapiro
Israel Shapiro
Dinah Shapiro
Tauba R. Shapiro
Joseph Shapiro
Abraham Shapiro
Mika Shapiro
Hersh Shapiro
Shaja Shapiro Ernst Levy Rivka Siegel
Naftali Siegel Nahama Shneyder
Riva Shneyder
Guta Shneyder
Ester Shneyder
Miriam Shneyder
Hannah Golub
Rivka Katz
Meyer Katz
Eta Feldman Refual Grunstein
Helen M. Grunstein
Chana S. Grunstein
Usher Z. Grunstein
Edes Grunstein Malka S. Bensky
Elka Bensky
Nathan Bensky
Sarah Bensky
Moses Bensky
Rubin Bensky
Herschel Bensky
Isaac Kuszel
Nechama B. Kuszel
Chaya Gontownik
Hershel Kuszel
Faga Kuszel
Elka Kuszel
Ruben Kuszel
Rifka Feinberg
Yehudit Feinberg Bette Heuberger
Abraham Heuberger Sally S. Weisberger
Bernard E. Weisberger
Mary Farkas Jakubovic
Ziegmund Jakubovic Hannah Silverman
Jenia Pollack
Irina Pollack

Brochure

Emek Sholom Brochure









- 2015 - Lesson Plan #1of3 by Rena Berlin

- 2015 - Lesson Plan #2of3 by Rena Berlin

- 2015 - Lesson Plan #3of3 by Rena Berlin















In 2014, Emek Sholom embarked upon a major project to document as much as can possibly be learned about the lives and fate of the individuals and families remembered on the historic Holocaust Memorial.


Phase I, currently underway by a team of Emek Sholom volunteers, is collecting information from families who inscribed names of their lost ones on the memorial, asking for any basic data such as dates and place names.


Phase II will begin in Summer 2016 at VCU when a class of selected students will earn credit for conducting intensive research, using the basic data collected from families and the many resources that are now available.


Phase III will be the cataloguing of this microcosm of Holocaust/Richmond History, which will then be archived with all Emek Sholom Cemetery records at The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, The Virginia Holocaust Museum, The Virginia Historical Society and the Beth Ahabah Museum and Archives.


We plan to tell their stories at future Kristallnacht Memorial Services, to share with the community who these people were and how they lived so they will never be forgotten.

The Vision for Future Development at Emek Sholom



Our dream is to make Emek Sholom a commemorative and an educational destination, connecting the visitor locally and intimately to the Holocaust.


This is currently achieved by:


1. The historic Holocaust Memorial with 460 names of Holocaust victims whose families in Richmond have chosen this way to remember them.


2. An annual Remembrance Day Ceremony to commemorate our loved ones who were victims of their faith, for whom there are no graves.


To be added in the future:


1. Walkways that teach


  • Timeline Walkway to chronicle major world events from 1933 to 1945.
  • Road-to-Richmond Walkway leading to names of survivors who came to Richmond.
  • Iconic Quotations Walkway: Ex. I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart. Anne Frank

2. Seating at end of Timeline Walkway inscribed with the names of the approximately 30 liberators of concentration camps and death marches, and the 3 rescuers of persons who were hunted.


3. Seating at end of Road to Richmond Walkway inscribed with the names of over 100 Holocaust survivors who reside(d) in the Richmond area.


4. Signage and audio technology to inform the visitor.

- Virginia Holocaust Museum

- Beth Ahabah Museum & Archives

- Jewish Community Federation of Richmond















PRESS RELEASE
We will award two checks this year, $500 for First Place and $300 for Second Place to the Virginia high school students who submit the two best projects that will help his or her school community stand up for "Never Again" -What We Can Do Today to Stop the Growing Tide of Anti-Semitism World-Wide and also in America.

The award winners must submit an essay of 500 words or less, be prepared to read the essay on Sunday, November 7, 2021, 2:00 p.m., at the annual program commemorating Kristallnacht, The Night of Pogroms - at Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial Cemetery, and provide a 1-page hand-out outlining ways to counteract the growing tide of anti-Semitism.

Esther J. Windmueller Never Again Award - 2021

Previous years, winners speaking specifically on genocide somewhere in the world were:
2005 - Mark Edelstein - Douglas Freeman H.S., Henrico Co. - Darfur
2007 - Scott Edelstein - Douglas Freeman H.S., Henrico Co. - Uganda
2008 - Rebecca Disney - Thomas Dale H.S., Chester - Kenya
2009 - Leah Tams - Clover Hill H.S., Chesterfield Co. - Indigenous People of Latin America
2010 - Abby Badura - Clover Hill H.S., Chesterfield Co. - Congo
2011 - Gracie DeSantis - Clover Hill H.S., Chesterfield Co. - Uganda
2013 - Arshiya Singh - Henrico H.S., Henrico Co. - Syria
2014 - Megan Mauro - Henrico H.S., Henrico Co. - Darfur
2015 - Sam Franco - Henrico H.S., Henrico Co. - Anti-Semitism in the World Today
2016 - Ja‘mel Reed - Middlesex High School - Bullying Prevention
2017 - Briana Schwam - Godwin High School - From Generation to Generation
2018 - Laya Koder - The Steward School - Never Again: The Genocide of the Yazidis
2019 - Claudia Sachs - Glen Allen High School - If not me, then who? If not now, then when?
2020 - 1st place: Anza Fierro - 2nd place: Callan Hartman
To apply download the following application and send to racheltloria@gmail.com

Esther J. Windmueller Never Again Scholarship - Application Form.pdf


PREVIOUS WINNERS


Never Again Award Winner - November 2021
1st place: Abby Crowe - 2nd place: Ella Winterling


Download My Essay

Never Again Award Winner - November 2020
1st place: Anza Fierro - 2nd place: Callan Hartman


Download My Essay



Never Again Award Winner - November 2019
Claudia Sachs (Never Again award winner), Glen Allen High School
'If not me, then who? If not now, then when?'


Download My Essay

Never Again Award Winner - November 2018
Laya Koder (Never Again award winner), The Steward School
'Never Again: The Genocide of the Yazidis'


Download My Essay

Never Again Award Winner - November 2017
Briana Schwam (Never Again award winner), Godwin High School
'From Generation to Generation'


Download My Essay

Never Again Award Winner - November 2016
Ja'Mel Reed(Never Again award winner), Middlesex High School
'Call Me by My Name'


Download My Essay

Never Again Award Winner - November 8, 2015
Sam Franco (Never Again award winner), Henrico High School
'What We Can Do Today to Stop Anti-Semitism'


Download My Essay & Handout


Never Again Award Winner - November 9, 2014
Megan Mauro, Henrico High School
'Genocide in Darfur'


Download My Essay
Download My Handout




Never Again Award Winner - November 10, 2013
Arshiya Singh, 12th grade, Henrico High School


On left: Nicole Hylton, Rescuer
On right: Simone Schwarz, Holocaust Survivor
The Syrian Conflict
Download My Essay
Download My Handout



Never Again Award Winner - November 6, 2011
Gracie DeSantis of Clover Hill High School
What's Worth Remembering?
Genocide Remembrance and Prevention
Case Study: Uganda

Download Essay and Handout




Never Again Award Winner - November 7, 2010
Abby Badura of Clover Hill High School
A Crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Download Essay and Handout




Never Again Award Winner - November 8, 2009
Leah Tams of Clover Hill High School
Kenyan Ethnic Cleansing: Another Rwanda?
An Essay on the Crisis in the Horn of Africa

Download Essay - Download Handout




Never Again Award Winner - November 9, 2008
Rebecca Disney of Thomas Dale High School
Kenyan Ethnic Cleansing: Another Rwanda?
An Essay on the Crisis in the Horn of Africa

Download Essay




Never Again Award Winner - November 11, 2007
Scott Edelstein of Douglass Freeman High School
Never Again: Genocide in Uganda

Download Essay



Never Again Award Winner - November 11, 2005
Mark Edelstein of Douglass Freeman High School
Never Again - What We Can Do Today to Stop Genocide

Download Essay

85th Anniversary of Kristallnacht - the Night of Progroms - Nov 12, 2023

84th Anniversary of Kristallnacht - the Night of Progroms - Nov 06, 2022

83rd Anniversary of Kristallnacht - the Night of Progroms - Nov 07, 2021

82nd Anniversary of Kristallnacht - the Night of Progroms - Nov 08, 2020

81st Anniversary of Kristallnacht - the Night of Progroms - Nov 10, 2019

80th Anniversary of Kristallnacht - the Night of Progroms - Nov 11, 2018


Video by Lindsay Stone

79th Anniversary of Kristallnacht - the Night of Progroms - Nov 2017


Video by Misha Teitz

78th Anniversary of Kristallnacht - the Night of Progroms - Nov 2016


Video by Misha Teitz

77th Anniversary of Kristallnacht - the Night of Progroms - Nov 8, 2015


Video by Misha Teitz




Photos by Rachel Loria




Alex Keisch


Holocaust Memorial


Holocaust Memorial


Ted Metzger


Meir Binshtok


Inge W. Horowitz, Event Chair., Daniel Sachs, Rabbi Dennis Beck-Berman


Rabbi Dennis Beck-Berman


Ben Kutner, Sid Richmon


Esther Windmueller


Sam Franco (Never Again award winner)


Waitman Beorn, PhD (Executive Director of the Virginia Holocaust Museum)


Attendees


Jay Ipson, (Co-Founder of the Virginia Holocaust Museum)

76th Anniversary of Kristallnacht - the Night of Progroms - Nov 9, 2014


Video by Misha Teitz




Photos by Rachel Loria




Alex Keisch, event director


Irina Manelis tells story of Ernst Baruch Levy


Esther Windmueller introduces Never Again Award recipient


Megan Mauro, 2014 recipient of Never Again Award


Candlelighters: Grandsons of survivors and VCU Hillel student


Attendees deeply moved by speakers


Rabbi Cantor Annie Bornstein


Cantor Errol Helfman flanked by Ben Kutner and Helen Zimm


Elise Scherr tells story of her grandparents



Unto Every Person There is a Name And a Story


The Richmond community, Survivors and family members gathered at Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial Cemetery on Sunday afternoon Nov. 9 to remember the atrocities of the Holocaust and honor the memories and lessons of the victims.


The theme of the annual memorial service was "Unto Every Person There is a Name," which focused on the identities and stories of those memorialized at Emek Sholom who perished during the Holocaust.


Featured speakers were Alex Keisch, Elise Scherr, Irina Manelis, Ben Kutner, and Inge Horowitz.


The service was led by Rabbi Cantor Annie Bornstein, assisted by Cantor Erol Helfman.


Keisch, who called himself a refugee from this madness that began 70 years ago today lost most of his family during the Holocaust, said, "The importance of these names can never be overstated. That's because unto every person there is a name. Unto every person there is a name and a story. This is why we're here today."


He noted, "for many sadly it was the end 70 years ago today but for many it was a beginning. It was the end of the lives of all of my 14 uncles, aunts, all four of my grandparents and countless unnamed faceless cousins of mine - relatives both close and near."


Rabbi Cantor Bornstein emphasized each one and every Holocaust victim had a story. "Each one of those 6 million human beings had a personal history. They had a family - children, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, grandparents, cousins, lovers and friends. Each one had dreams. Each one had a name."


She said the names of all the victims will never be discovered but it's important to tell the world "never again."


Two family members spoke about their family members lost in the Holocaust and memorialized among the 460 names on the wall behind them. Scherr and then Manelis shared the stories they uncovered from extensive research.


Scherr told the story of her grandparents, Leah J. and Lewis Capeiko, who were taken to a forest near their home in Lithuania, which was part of Poland at the time, and shot by their neighbors. Scherr's father escaped and settled in Lawrenceville, where he was a store owner.


Manelis described how her father's cousin, Ernst Baruch Levy, was killed in Auschwitz after it was discovered he and his wife had been planning resistance efforts in Germanoccupied Holland.


Hillel students from Virginia Commonwealth University took part in a candle lighting ceremony to memorialize the 460 victims of the Holocaust whose names are written on the wall at Emek Sholom. A violin accompaniment was performed by Yakov Tulchinsky.


Megan Mauro, a Henrico High School sophomore, received this year's "Never Again Award" from Esther Windmueller. The student read her moving essay about ongoing genocide in Darfur. She noted this is the center of the regional conflict in Sudan where the United Nations estimates at least 300,000 have been killed in the last decade and about 2 million displaced. Mauro cited a letter from a Sudanese refugee fleeing violence there saying the promise of world leaders seemed empty to those still in the country


Windmueller praised Mauro for her efforts. "It is one thing to remember, but it's another thing to do something about it," Windmueller said.


At the beginning of the service and during the candle lighting, a recording of the names of the victims displayed on the walls was played. The names were recorded by Survivors and their family members. While there are 460 names on the memorial wall, only about 110 have stories and details. The Emek Sholom board is seeking information on the remaining names.


Source: Reflector, published by the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond

75th Anniversary of Kristallnacht - the Night of Progroms - Nov 10, 2013


Video by Misha Teitz




Photos by Rachel Loria





Fay Kutner Kessler


Rabbi Gary Creditor


Left to right: Cornelia Warmenhoven, Dr. Raymond P. Hylton, Nicole Hylton


Cornelia Warmenhoven


Dr. Raymond P. Hylton


Esther Windmueller


Arshiya Signh


Simone Swartz


Max Reinhardt


Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial Panel


Clara Daniels at the Memorial Panel


Ron Binshtok and son, Gavriel



RESCUERS SHARE THEIR STORIES AT EMEK SHOLOM
By: Irina Manelis


The beautiful, sunny November afternoon stood in stark contrast to the event the community had gathered to commemorate--the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the wave of brutal anti-Jewish pogroms which marked the beginning of the Nazi campaign to exterminate the Jewish people. So observed Fay Kutner Kessler in her opening remarks welcoming the large crowd which had assembled for the annual Kristallnacht Memorial Service held at the Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial Cemetery on Sunday, November 10, 2013. Ms. Kutner Kessler, the daughter of two Holocaust survivors, introduced this year's theme honoring resistance workers and rescuers during World War II who placed their lives in grave danger to oppose the Nazi regime and to rescue endangered people, and in so doing, "saved countless lives."

These inspiring individuals dared to do the right thing in spite of the peril at a time when most people where bystanders, remarked Inge Horowitz, acting President of Emek Sholom, as she honored and welcomed Cornelia Warmenhoven to the podium to give a firsthand account of her work as a resister during WWII. Ms. Warmenhoven captivated the audience as she described joining Dutch resistance when she was only seventeen years old after the Germans conquered the Netherlands. She worked covertly with fellow resisters to thwart the Nazi campaign, including helping to hide Dutch citizens who were in danger because they had refused to take the loyalty oath to Hitler. Calling the Nazis "ruthless creatures," she described how the resistance had to contend with the omnipresent threat of being discovered. Even worse than the Gestapo spies, she explained, were the spies and traitors among her own people, who didn't wear uniforms and looked just like everyone else. Ms. Warmenhoven and fellow resisters knew all too well that their lives were on the line if they were discovered, a fact underscored by a haunting poem she translated and read, written by a captured Dutch resistance worker who was condemned to face the firing squad the next day.

A bullet almost claimed the life of French resistance worker Nicole Hylton when Paris was finally liberated from Nazi occupation, and she has held on to that (dodged) bullet till this day. Dr. Raymond Hylton shared how while his grandfather had been captured by the Nazis as a prisoner of war, his mother Nicole DeViscaya Hylton and grandmother Madeleine Henriet Marchal, two women living all alone under the occupied regime in Paris, courageously maintained their apartment as a safe house for members of the French resistance and numerous Jewish families. They provided shelter, food, and sustenance to many escapees, whose identities they did not know and never inquired about, fleeing en route to safety in Spain. Nicole fell in love with a soldier from the U.S. Army and moved to the United States, and today, she lives in Chesterfield County, and was present and honored at the commemoration.

Additionally, each year, a family speaker shares his family's history, and this year, Max Reinhardt talked about his grandparents Simon and Emma Koch, whose names are inscribed on the Holocaust Memorial at Emek Sholom. Born in Germany, and when he was six years old, Mr. Reinhardt was initially sent by his parents to live with his grandparents in the German countryside when things got unsafe. His grandparents were hardworking, deeply ethical, and widely respected people who lived as Orthodox Jews, but as the Nazi campaign advanced, everything deteriorated—kids he had played with joined the Hitler Youth, and community members who had always respected his grandparents grew resentful of them—and Mr. Reinhardt returned to his parents in the city. He and parents were fortunate enough to find a sponsor in the USA and sailed here in 1937, but his beloved grandparents, who remained behind, perished in the concentration camps.

Six candles were lit by the children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors to honor the memories of the six million who were lost in the Holocaust. Rabbi Gary Creditor officiated the service and Rabbi Cantor Annie Bornstein chanted the liturgy.

To be in the presence of resisters and rescuers and of Holocaust survivors was to "touch history," remarked Inge Horowitz, and the historical significance of the commemoration and the moment was palpable. Rabbi Creditor discussed how growing up in 1950s America, the Holocaust was never mentioned, and that it was only during his teen years in the 1960s that it became a part of Jewish education. Today, new revelations about the horrors of the Holocaust and about the heroes who emerged during that dark time continue to come to light, and there is "no end to that which we have yet to learn," said Rabbi Creditor. Turning to some of those lessons, Arshia Singh, a senior at Henrico High School, was announced as the winner of Emek Sholom's Never Again essay scholarship. She read her essay about state-sponsored oppression in Syria today.

This event was jointly sponsored by Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial Cemetery, the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond, and the Virginia Holocaust Museum. The Richmond Jewish Foundation and the Ipson Holocaust Education Fund, the Henry and Gertrude Kupfer Holocaust Education Fund, and the Herbert J. and Ruth B. Rubel Holocaust Education Funds gave financial support to make this program possible.

74th Anniversary of Kristallnacht - the Night of Progroms - Nov 11, 2012


Video by Misha Teitz




Photos by Rachel Loria




Win Bailey Loria talking about her father, Sgt. Andrew A. Bailey, Liberator


Sgt. Andrew Bailey, Liberator, who earned three Purple Hearts and many commendations.


David B. Robinson talking about his father, Cpl. Bruce Robinson


Gail Richmond Robinson holding portrait of her father-in-law, Cpl. Bruce Robinson, Liberator


Tanya Louise Wohner talking about her father, Lt. Col. John Herold Wohner, Liberator


Rabbi Andrew A. Goodman, Campus Rabbi, University of Richmond


Inge W. Horowitz, Event Chr. and Rabbi Andrew A. Goodman


The six candle lighters: from left to right: David Gluckman, Rina Manelis, Florina Kholodovskaya, Lyuda Shmerelzon, David Tulchinsky, and Rita Horowitz Peyton.


Florina Kholodovskaya and Lyuda Shmerelzon lighting memorial candles



PRESS RELEASE FOLLOWING 2012 MEMORIAL SERVICE

By Rina Manelis

On a clear, balmy Sunday on November 11, 2012, community members gathered around the Emek Sholom monument at the Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial Cemetery for the annual Kristallnacht commemoration, which honors those who perished in the Holocaust as well as those who survived and witnessed its unimaginable horrors. The Emek Sholom monument is one of the first Holocaust memorials in North America, and since its founding in November 1955, members of the Richmond Jewish community have continued to add the names of their family members who were killed in the Shoah; today the memorial bears 459 names.

The recorded reading of these names wafted softly through the air as the crowd assembled and took their seats. Acting President Inge W. Horowitz welcomed the attendees and introduced this years program theme of the sons and daughters of World War II veterans who liberated the concentration camps and ghettos.

Rabbi Andrew Goodman, the Director of Jewish Life and Campus Rabbi at the University of Richmond, followed and described the violent Kristallnacht pogroms. He spoke of how the shards of glass identified with Kristallnacht tore through the fabric of Jewish life and prompted unanswered questions of all of humanity and of G-d, and how they called on the Jewish people to carry their legacy with them as we move forward. Elia Steidl, the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Intern at the Virginia Holocaust Museum, shared a vivid and tragic tale of Rosalia and Naftali Brandeis, two victims who were just two forgotten passports away from escaping the Holocaust, and who instead perished in Treblinka.

The service then turned to this year's theme, the Second Generation Liberator Perspectives, as the children of WWII veterans provided poignant accounts of the lives of their liberator fathers. Win Bailey Loria, a descendent of generations of veterans and the wife of Holocaust survivor Dr. Roger Loria, described the experiences of her father, Sgt. Andrew A. Bailey, C-Co., 1st Battalion, 116th Regiment, 29th Infantry Division. Sgt. Bailey enlisted in the U.S. Army right after Pearl Harbor, and was only twenty-three years old when he liberated a concentration camp. She recounted how her father and his fellow soldiers knew nothing of the camps, and how, after liberating the camp they encountered, they could not speak for two days about what they had seen.

Following his experiences in WWII, her father suffered from what is today recognized as PTSD. These experiences took his "youth and marked his life," but were also deeply connected to his pride. Sgt. Bailey was a highly decorated veteran, and received three Purple Hearts and the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest military award. Keeping a promise she had made to her father, Ms. Loria traveled with her husband to Normandy, where she stood on the unforgiving cliffs in awe of the unbelievable feat American soldiers had accomplished there.

Ms. Loria noted that her speech was an "homage to my dad and his generation of citizen soldiers who never would take such praise," and this theme clearly reverberated through the following presentation by David B. Robinson, son of Cpl. Bruce Robinson, Medical Technician, 120th Evacuation Unit, 3rd Army. Mr. Robinson described his father as an honorable and deeply humble man, who lived quietly with few material possessions. When the Jewish community recognized his father as a liberator and presented him with a corresponding plaque, Cpl. Robinson only took the title and plaque of liberator at his son's urging.

Mr. Robinson's father was part of the 120th Evacuation Hospital Unit which entered the Buchenwald concentration camp and cared for the 3,000 dying prisoners whom they had liberated and found there. As part of the Unit's non-medical personnel, Mr. Robinson's father escorted visiting military and other personnel through the camp so that they could observe first-hand the atrocities which had occurred there. On the way to liberating the Dachau concentration camp, the Unit was overwhelmed by the camp's prisoners who had been forced on the Death March; the soldiers commandeered the German town, Cham, and set up an improvised hospital. Countless lives were saved, including that of Esther Talkowska Kutner who later came to live in Richmond. Bruce Robinson and Esther Kutner were re-introduced, and tearfully shared their memories until Cpl. Robinson died. After he passed away, the liberator plaque was among the few material possessions Cpl. Robinson had held onto, tucked away in one of his four drawers.

Finally, Tanya Louise Wohner, daughter of Lt. Col. John Herold Wohner, 2nd Battalion, 407 Division, shared her fathers notes on the concentration camp prisoners his unit had liberated following the Massacre at Gardelegen, describing how he and his fellow servicemen took all the bullion they had and gently trickled it down the throats of these emaciated prisoners—all of whom survived.

Six candles were lit by second and third generations of veterans in honor of the six million Jewish lives claimed by the Holocaust. Rabbi Goodman concluded with a responsive reading of Kaddish, and the compelling service drew to a close.

73rd Anniversary of Kristallnacht - the Night of Progroms - Nov 6, 2011


Photos by Rachel Loria


The Memorial at Emek Sholom


Front Row-Participants, and Audience


Gracie DeSantis (Never Again Award Winner), Mark Binschtok, Jon Davidow, Ali Holmes, and Jeremy McMahon (3rd Generation Candle Lighters)


Speakers Inge Horowitz (Program Chair), Rabbi Royi Shaffin, (3rd Generation), Rabbi Canter Annie Bornstein, and Miriam Davidow (2nd Generation)


Rina Manelis (2nd Generation Speaker)


Ben Kutner (Program Committee Member)

Video by Misha Teitz




Press Release

Annual Kristallnacht Memorial Service - Second Generation Perspective

By Timur & Ira Korshin

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, November 6, 2011, Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial Cemetery welcomed a dedicated group of Holocaust survivors, their families and friends, returning for the annual pilgrimage to commemorate the opening chapter of the Holocaust, the night of November 9-10, 1938, known as the Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass).

Inge Horowitz, the past President of Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial Cemetery, thanked and welcomed all gathered. She stated that with the dwindling number of Holocaust Survivors, it is their children and grandchildren, the 2nd and 3rd Generation, who carry the honor and command to Remember! She introduced Rabbi Royi Shaffin, who gave opening remarks, and spoke from the heart about his perspective on what it means to remember as a 3rd Generation Survivor. He energized the group, encouraging Jews to stick together, be proud of our heritage, and protect the only sure safe harbor of Jews, Israel.

Next, Rabbi Cantor Annie Bornstein, the first of the 2nd Generation speakers, passionately described the complexity of deep internal conflict she struggled with throughout her life as she sought to understand her parents, survivors of Auschwitz. She spoke to the fact that even after the horrors endured by her parents, they were able to infuse and enrich her spirit with passion and love for Judaism that has been at the core of her being throughout her life.

Rina Manelis, honoring the memory of her father, shared the story of his miraculous escape from the ghetto as a child, with his aunt who afterwards adopted and raised him as her own son. Having been very close with her father, Rina recalled that he never talked with her or her sister about the Holocaust, but communicated through his actions. In Rina's own words, the legacy her father left was "the strong sense of pride he had implicitly taught us to take in our identity as Jews."

The third speaker, Miriam Davidow shared her experience as a child born in the shadow of the Holocaust, and the eternal gratitude she feels toward her parents for allowing her to be born into freedom. She left a message that we must do all in our power to make a difference in the lives of others by "serving, giving, and doing whatever is most meaningful to us."

Inge Horowitz gave a tribute to Samuel "Sonny" Werth (OBM), who, following his father's dying wish, went on to create maps of all Jewish graves in cemeteries within the state of Virginia, recently finishing the map of Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial Cemetery. He would have presented his work during the commemoration event, were it not for his recent passing.

Esther Windmueller introduced this year's student winner of the "Never Again" scholarship award, which has changed this year from an essay submission, to demonstrated actions and plans for more activism and education. Gracie DeSantis from Clover Hill High School was recognized for her work to combat genocide. Check out her website: http://www.facebook.com/helponthehill for "What's Worth Remembering" and "Invisible Children."

Six candles were lit in front of the memorial for the six million Jewish lives lost in the Holocaust. Rabbi Cantor Annie Bornstein sang El Moleh Rachamim, and Rabbi Royi Shaffin concluded with a Kaddish after reiterating the message that many generations have been and will continue to be touched by the Holocaust, and that remembering the history of our survival is what will preserve us and make us stronger.



72nd Anniversary of Kristallnacht - the Night of Progroms - Nov 7, 2010


Photos by Vlada Teitz


Cantor Annie Bornstein and Rabbi Elaine Schnee light memorial candle


Roger Loria, Speaker: Antwerp, Belgium Pogrom


Moshe Yassur, Keynote Speaker: Iasi, Romania Pogrom


Keith Marcus, Family Speaker

Video by Misha Teitz



71st Anniversary of Kristallnacht - the Night of Progroms - Nov 8, 2009

Video by Misha Teitz



















70th Anniversary of Kristallnacht - the Night of Progroms - Nov 9, 2008


Photos and Video by Misha Teitz

Photos of Kristallnacht service in Synagogue of the Virginia Holocaust Museum




Cantor Annie Borenstein and the Etz Chayim Youth Choir of Congregation Beth Ahabah.






Rabbi Israel B. Koller with Temple Beth El's Holocaust Torah, walking among the
250 attendees as Jay Ipson blows the Shofar.





Video of the Kristallnacht Service 2008




Invitation to the Kristallnacht Service on Nov 9 2008

Kristallnacht 2008 Invitation (PDF)


69th Kristallnacht - Night of Pogroms - Veterans Day, Nov 11, 2007


Photos by Vlada Teitz

Photos of Kristallnacht service at Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial Cemetery 2007


Irina Manelis lights one of the six memorial candles.




Boy Scouts Aaron Anderson, Aaron Levin and Alex Katz of Temple Beth El's Troop #717 present flags. Front row L to R: Alex Lebenstein, Survivor; Ben Kutner, speaker; David Robinson, speaker; Rabbi Dennis Beck-Berman; Cantor Annie Borenstein; Mrs. John H. Harris, John H. Harris - a Liberator of Ohrdruff Concentration Camp; Halina Zimm, Survivor; John S. Oppenheimer, a Liberator of Dachau Concentration Camp; Bob Zimmer, a Liberator of Mauthausen Concentration Camp.




Center stone of the 1955 Holocaust Memorial at Emek Sholom with six memorial candles.




L to R: Inge W. Horowitz, President of Emek Sholom, Alex Lebenstein, Survivor; Ben Kutner, son of Survivors; David B. Robinson, holding picture of his father, Bruce Robinson (obm), who documented what he saw in Buchenwald Concentration Camp a few hours after its liberation.




L to R: [back] Rena Berlin, Director of Education at Virginia Holocaust Museum; Mr. and Mrs. John H. Harris, a Liberator of Ohrdruff Concentration Camp; Alan and Halina Zimm, Survivors; [behind the Zimms] Roger Loria, Survivor.


Video of the Kristallnacht Service 2007

Video by Misha Teitz




Press Release

52nd ANNUAL KRISTALLNACHT MEMORIAL SERVICE HELD - November 11, 2007

Samuel Werth and Stanley Serxner of the Jewish War Veterans, Norfolk, VA (Misha Teitz Photography)

Crystal silence fell upon the group of approximately 200 attendees gathered on the afternoon of November 11th, as Boy Scout Troop 717 presented flags to honor WWII concentration camp Liberators for their courageous service, and Holocaust Survivors who endured unbelievable, inhuman suffering.

Inge Horowitz, President of Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial Cemetery, opened the service there. She recognized the Survivors, their children, and grandchildren as representatives of victory over the planned annihilation of the Jewish people. The names of 439 loved ones, murdered in Holocaust, whose family members live in Richmond, reverberated in the chilly air. Alex Lebenstein, Holocaust survivor, recognized Concentration Camp Liberators - John H. Harris, Ohrdruff - John S. Oppenheimer, Dachau - and Robert S. Zimmer, Mauthausen, - and the audience honored each one with a long ovation. Their presence was an inspiration and a privilege.

Benjamin Kutner shared the incredible story of his mother's miraculous escape from an Auschwitz death march. David Robinson continued the story from the perspective of his father, Cpl. Bruce Robinson, whose unit saved Esther Kutner. Forty five years later, the liberator and liberated were reunited in switched roles - Esther sat vigil with Bruce in the hospital as he lay dying of cancer, as they shared unique memories of the past.

Six candles were lit by descendants of Survivors for the six million Jewish lives lost in the Holocaust. The reflection of the tiny burning flames, in the vast coldness of the monument, resembled the tiny number of Jews that survived the Holocaust in comparison to the millions that so tragically left us forever.

Rabbi Beck-Berman recalled the night of violence against Jews, Nov. 9 - 10, 1938, that foreshadowed the Holocaust, and warned of the importance to stand up for the rights and lives of people who face annihilation. "We must not stand by without taking action, when people in countries such as Uganda or Darfur are facing genocide…If we don't stand up when evil is done onto others, what can we expect when is evil is done onto us?"

The question was answered by young Scott Edelstein, who submitted the winning Never Again essay, "Genocide in Uganda." He invoked the words of Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner: "The opposite of life is not death; it is indifference". He also donated to the Virginia Holocaust Museum a copy of the film which inspired him, Invisible Children. He ended by imploring his audience to donate to help kids who can turn to no one, and to visit www.invisiblechildren.com.

By Timur Korshin & Ira Perelman