HOD Volunteers Distribute Candles at Capitol

Volunteers from the Hebrew Order of David (HOD), Lodge Shimshon, with an assist from the Jewish-Christian Discovery Center and the Steven M and Betsy S. Kramer Family Foundation, distributed Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance) yellow candles to every Georgia state representative and senator on Monday, March 18.

The volunteers also distributed the gifts to Governor Brian Kemp in a private ceremony. Some were allowed on the state senate floor to present the bag containing the yellow candle to Lt. Governor Burt Jones. Additionally, the volunteers provided all state-wide officials with the yellow candle. In the distribution, HOD was honored to have help from David Joss, the Deputy Grand President of the Hebrew Order of David International.

Hebrew Order of David volunteers Larry Laibson, Steve Kaufman, Steve Kramer, Neal Drucker, Eric Solomon, Mark Weiss, Joel Pflosky, Howard Levine, and Eric Solomon assemble the yellow bags.

Volunteers from the Hebrew Order of David, Lodge Shimshon, assembled distinctive yellow bags on March 11. The bags contained: a yellow candle; a flyer with meditation, prayer, and instructions for lighting the yellow candle on Yom HaShoah, sundown on May 5 this year; another flyer describing the Hebrew Order of David’s benevolent activities; and complimentary tickets to The Breman Museum for each official.

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HOD believes this was the first time yellow candles were ever distributed to a complete state legislature anywhere in the United States. The Georgia legislature passed an antisemitism bill this January, and the organizations knew they would get a welcome reception from the legislators.

David Joss, Rachel Slomovitz, Steve Kramer, Jeff Baumohl, Betsy Kramer, Rabbi Albert Slomovitz, and Larry Laibson at the State Capitol.

In April, HOD will continue this effort by delivering many additional bags to Jewish houses of worship and Hillels of Georgia. Even this latter effort greatly expands on its original mission from previous years, started years ago by Worthy Brother Steve Kaufman of HOD.

This event would not have been possible without the generous funding from a Gather Grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, tickets from The Breman Museum, and stop-gap funding from the Kramer Family Foundation. All the organizations mentioned in this article are charities, and the workers are all volunteers.