Letter to the Editor: Ghitis

To the Editor:

I am delighted that Metro Atlanta has grown to hold the many Holocaust commemorations we now have. But there is one that is unique and it is co-sponsored every year by Hemshech, The Jewish Federation and The Breman Museum. It is The Yom HaShoah Service of Remembrance at the Memorial For the Six Million at Greenwood Cemetery.

This monument was created by survivors in 1965. It’s the second oldest Holocaust Memorial in the United States and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Ashes from Dachau are buried there. It is the closest thing to the gravesite of their loved ones who perished in the Shoah that our survivors have. For 49 years, Atlanta survivors, their families, friends and members of our community have held this event the morning of the first Sunday after Passover.

I want to take this opportunity for a special request: out of respect for our survivors, would it be possible to refrain from holding Yom HaShoah commemorations and other programs on the morning of the first Sunday after Passover?

Although all Jews have been touched by the Holocaust, only those who were there, suffered it in their very being. They need to be honored and cherished.

Thanks for your kind attention,

Sara Ghitis,

Chair, Atlanta Holocaust Council of the Atlanta Jewish Community Relations Council

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