Holocaust Museum Offers Special Tisha B’av Program

August 9th at 17. South Madison Ave, Spring Valley NY (behind the Finkelstein Library) 

The community is invited to visit the Holocaust Museum & Study Center on Tisha B’Av, Tuesday August 9th. Special programs will be offered in the afternoon between 12:30pm and 5pm. The permanent exhibit will be open to the public from 10am – 5pm. This year’s program is partly funded by the Jewish Federation of Rockland.

Tisha B'Av (the 9^th day of the Jewish month of Av) is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar and a fast day commemorating the destruction of the first and second Temples. It is now a day of general mourning of other major tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people throughout history. Eventually, Tisha B’Av also became one of the main dates of remembrance for Holocaust victims.

12:30PM: SCREENING of “Pikuach Nefesh” with film maker David LenikThe film presents the dramatic and neglected stories of two heroes: Rav Michoel Ber Weissmandel of Nitra who saved Slovakian Jews during the Holocaust, and British Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Schonfeld, his student and life-long friend. Inspired by his teacher, Rabbi Schonfeld himself rescued thousands of Jews from Nazi forces. Film maker David Lenik will share his experience while working on his latest film project. Torah Umesorah-The Zechor Yemos Olam Program provided the screening.

2:15PM: BERNHARD STORCH – Holocaust survivor & WWII liberator Born in 1909 to a Jewish family in Poland, Bernhard Storch fled the Germans to be later captured by Russian troops and sent to a Siberian labor camp. After being released, he survived two years in Russia before joining the reforming Polish Army. He helped liberate camps such as Sobibor and Majdanek, and took part in the final battle over Berlin. Ben was the only survivor of his immediate family.

3:45PM: RABBI LABEL LAM – In the search for unity after the HolocaustRabbi Lam is a former collegiate athlete and poet. While pursuing his masters in education, he studied at Yeshiva Ohr Somayach before launching a career in Jewish education. He is the co-founder of Foundations for Jewish Learning, and a motivational speaker and life coach.

Admission is free. Donations to the Museum are appreciated.

The mission of the Holocaust Museum & Study Center’s is to educate, examine and explore the lessons of the Holocaust with authenticity, dignity, and compassion, so that young and old alike may learn from them, and create a society of mutual respect and understanding, devoid of the hatred of the past. The Museum is committed to paying tribute to those who perished during the Holocaust and to those who survived the worst of times. The Holocaust Museum & Study Center has been located in Rockland County since 1988, and is unique in the region.