Households of survivors and Jewish neighborhood members walked collectively and positioned stones and flowers in an annual ceremony on the Holocaust memorial in Boston on Sunday.
“I’m a second generation. My parents were Holocaust survivors. My father just passed away six weeks ago, at 96,” mentioned Susan Kleiner, standing subsequent to generations of her household on the memorial. “My daughter is a 3G (third generation) and her children are 4G. It’s important to show up and show the world, never again.”
The neighborhood got here collectively for a family-friendly ceremony in honor of Yom HaShoah, which can also be referred to as Holocaust Remembrance Day and occurred from Wednesday evening into Thursday.
The small crowd gathered on the steps of the Massachusetts State Home at 11 a.m. and walked collectively New England Holocaust Memorial, a part of the worldwide six million steps initiative in honor the six million lives misplaced in the course of the Holocaust. The group then heard neighborhood members converse, sing and pray earlier than portray rocks of remembrance and putting them on the memorial — a Jewish custom sometimes executed at gravesites.
The occasion is an “opportunity for people of all ages to reflect, remember, and ensure that the stories of the past continue to be told for generations to come,” organizers mentioned.
“It’s hard to know how to talk to young kids about these things, and so coming to events like this, I think, gives meaning and allows for conversation,” mentioned Kleiner’s daughter Jamie Jacobs, standing along with her younger youngsters Rafi and Liev after they positioned their stones. “And they can see other kids that are also a part of this, and start to understand their legacy and what their great grandparents went through.”
Its a “big loss” to not have the great-grandparents right here this yr, the Newton mom mentioned.
A number of audio system spoke to troubling tendencies, with one noting “antisemitism is once again on the rise, on our campuses, in our schools, online, and even in mainstream discourse.”
“It was 80 years ago that this happened to our grandparents, our parents, and there’s even some survivors here,” mentioned Lisa Einstein, president of Boston 3G. “And as the survivors are no longer with us, we want to make sure that the stories are not forgotten, especially in the time that we’re in with rampant antisemitism and Jewish hatred.”
Group members additionally famous the brand new Boston Holocaust Museum deliberate to open alongside the Freedom Path in April 2026, and the significance of continuous to teach individuals on the tragedy.
“We just want to make sure that future generations know to be upstanders, not bystanders,” mentioned Einstein. “And that they can ensure that this doesn’t happen again, that hatred and intolerance don’t win.”
