ROANOKE, Va. – Dozens gathered at the Hope of Israel Congregation for their annual holocaust remembrance event. It was an event that was held two weeks after Passover to remember and reflect on the horror of the Holocaust.
In the flicker of candlelight, heavy hearts gathered at Hope of Israel Congregation in Roanoke to honor the roughly 6 million people killed during the Holocaust.
“And especially for the younger generation. We always have a saying, ‘Never forget,’ and yet, we do tend to forget, and so it’s important for every generation to understand this to know this. You’ll see young children here. You’ll see adults. You’ll see people of all ages here, and it’s important for us to never forget,” Maynard Keller, Elder at Hope of Israel Congregation, said.
Lighting a candle one by one, remembering the different countries where Jews were killed.
”Greece, 54,000 Jews murdered, Lithuania 196,000 out of a population of 204,000 Jews murdered.
Samuel Cox, a Holocaust historian, shared stories of Holocaust survivors he has spoken with over the years.
“Ella would hold out her left forearm and roll up her sleeve and show us the number a5674 tattooed there and still visible half a century later,” Cox said.
Through prayer, singing, and reflection, the congregation honors those who suffered, and they strive to make sure history is never forgotten.
“It’s not a Jewish issue, it’s a human issue. And as human beings, it’s how we treat one another and different groups of people that we need to treat them with respect and kindness,” Cox said.
Although the Holocaust was more than 70 years ago, antisemitism is something we are still seeing to this day.
“We hate to see people die anywhere, whether they are Jewish or Palestinian, we hate to see that. God loves every person. Each of us is made in the image of God, and I would love nothing more for the war to end today,” Keller said.