YIR: Atlanta Remembers the Holocaust

The 58th annual service of Holocaust remembrance at Greenwood Cemetery on April 16 was a multi-generational observance. Speakers included Sen. Jon Ossoff and Ilse Eichner Reiner, a 93-year-old survivor of the Holocaust.

Speaking before the roughly hewn stones of the Memorial to the Six Million that has been built in the cemetery, Ossoff renewed his commitment to remain alert in these challenging times.

“The rising tide of antisemitism and hate demonstrates just how far we have to go and how we must be ever vigilant and always prepared,” Ossoff said. “And so, among the members of both parties and in both houses of Congress who led the Joint Task Force on antisemitism, I will remain vigilant and committed on behalf of Jews in Georgia and across the country and around the world.”

Children, particularly the direct descendants of Holocaust survivors, were involved in the service. Eleven children, each carrying a large sunflower, placed the flowers on the outsized concrete slab at the memorial, as a sign of hope for the future.

Reiner, who mentioned that she was frequently bewildered as a young person surrounded by such enormous evil, credits her inherent optimism for helping her to survive.

“What helped me to get through all this was hope. And I would say to everyone, ‘you must never, never, ever give up hope. Because without that, you are doomed.’ And I didn’t say, ‘if I survive, I’ll do this or that.’ I would say ‘when I survive. I always thought of happier times in my life.’ In my case, I was uplifted a lot by my Jewish faith and by my Jewish memories.”

The 59th annual memorial service is set for 11 a.m., Monday, May 5, 2024, at Greenwood Cemetery. For more information, visit www.atlantajewishconnector.com/events/59th-annual-community-yom-hashoah-service-of-remembrance/