On April 13th Yad Vashem USA Foundation South Florida Committee, in conjunction with Beth Torah Benny Rok Campus and the Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center, hosted more than 300 community members at Beth Torah in North Miami for a Yom HaShoah Remembrance Ceremony honoring the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. The ceremony featured testimony from Holocaust survivor Regina Behar, born in Skopje, Macedonia in 1936, and survivor Jack Waksal, who endured ghettos, forced labor camps, and liberation in 1945.
Students from schools across South Florida played a central role in the ceremony, leading readings, reflections, and musical tributes emphasizing the responsibility of the next generation to preserve Holocaust memory. A central feature of the evening was the seven-candle memorial ceremony, with each flame representing a dimension of Holocaust memory, resilience, and responsibility. Candles were lit by Holocaust survivors, civic leaders, religious representatives, community organizations, and students.
In addition, attendees viewed a special exhibit dedicated to the Righteous Among the Nations, honoring non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. The exhibit was open before and after the program and highlighted stories of courage, moral conviction, and humanity in the face of Nazi persecution.
Dignitaries in attendance included officials from Argentina and Germany, members of the Florida House of Representatives, Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner, and representatives from Miami-Dade County and multiple municipalities. A Congressional Record recognition was presented on behalf of U.S. Representative Carlos A. Giménez.
