Registration underway for Oct. 8 event in Cherry Hill
On Sunday, Oct. 8, the Jewish Community Relations Council’s Esther Raab Holocaust Museum and Goodwin Education Center is hosting its 5th Annual March of Remembrance to support the Raab/Goodwin Center’s continual efforts to combat prejudice, bigotry and hatred through Holocaust Education.
“Teaching the history and lessons of the Holocaust is crucial in understanding the consequences of hatred and anti-Semitism both historically and in today’s world. The world is at a tipping point and incidents of anti-Semitism are sharply on the rise, both in the United States and abroad. In reaching over 22,000 public, parochial and private school students, as well as community members throughout South Jersey each year, we know from letters and projects that our programming is making a difference. To continue our important mission, we need ongoing community support,” stated JCRC Vice-President Carol Orwitz, who is Co-Chair of this year’s March of Remembrance.
The March begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey Annex Building, 1721 Springdale Road, and ends at the Raab/Goodwin Center, 1301 Springdale Road, where the screening of two films created by students in two local schools will be shown.
The first film, “Better Together: Names Not Numbers,” was created by eighth-grade students at Kellman Brown Academy and partially funded by the Raab/Goodwin Center. The students interviewed local Holocaust survivors to ensure that their families’ stories are forever remembered. The second film, “The Statement that Revealed the Truth: Josiah DuBois, An American Holocaust Hero,” was made by eighth-grade students from Cherry Hill’s Rosa International Middle School for submission to the National History Day competition. The students’ film project placed second in the country. The screenings will be held in the Lahn Social Hall at the Katz JCC starting at 10:30 a.m.
The Raab/Goodwin Center is one of the preeminent Holocaust education institutions in New Jersey. Its Esther Raab Holocaust Museum is the only Holocaust museum between New York and Washington, D.C. It is supported solely by contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations within our local community.
“It is so important to educate about the Holocaust. Every Survivor’s story is unique and needs to be told. The March is just one of the ways that we honor and remember the Survivors of our community,” stated Marc Cohen, Co-Chair of the March of Remembrance, new JCRC Board member and Holocaust Studies educator at Temple Beth Sholom.
Using the history and lessons of the Holocaust, the Raab/Goodwin Center is involved throughout the year in Holocaust education programs including Survivor speaker programs, docent-led museum tours, videoconferences, films, theatrical productions, elementary school guest reader programs, and teacher training programs. In addition, the Raab/Goodwin Center spearheaded the formation of a Generations After the Shoah group enabling children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors to continue to share their family legacies. The Raab/Goodwin Center also offers annual Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass) and Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Memorial Day) Community Observances.
“When we talk about the Holocaust, we always say, Never Again but through our Esther Raab Holocaust Museum and Goodwin Education Center and the countless educational programs that it offers, we are able to go one step beyond and encourage future generations to learn from history and become upstanders who never allow hatred to control society again,” said Raab/Goodwin Center Steering Committee Chair, Renee Siegel.
Registration for the March of Remembrance is $36 for adults and $18 for students. All pre-registered participants will receive a commemorative t-shirt. Sponsorships are still available and team registration is encouraged.
For more information about the event, to register, or to make a contribution, please visit www.jcrcsnj.org. For questions, you may contact Helen Kirschbaum at hkirschbaum@jfedsnj.org or (856) 751–9500, ext. 1249.
