Holocaust survivors around the world are lighting candles for Hanukkah together and sharing memories that are fading from the global collective memory.
Holocaust survivor and WWII veteran Mikhail Spectr, 86, pauses as he speaks during the annual Hanukkah Menorah Lighting Ceremony in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019. Spectr was taken to Jewry in 1941 at the age of 8 when Nazi soldiers arrived at his village in Ukraine Soviet republic. Mikhail Spectr had been kept at ghetto in Transnistria, territory between Dniester and Southern Bug, occupied by the Nazi and its allies from 1941 and 1944.
They worry that today’s youth in many countries don’t recognize names of Nazi death camps, fall prey to anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, or don’t realize that 6 million Jews were killed in Hitler’s World War II extermination campaign. Some 400,000 Holocaust victims are estimated to still be alive, about half of them in Israel — and as many as 40% are living in poverty, said Ruediger Mahlo of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, which organized the events.
“For me, the holiday of Hanukkah is a holiday of victory, and it’s very important for me to see the light of victory,” said Amnon Elkiev, a survivor originally from the Netherlands who came to the ceremony with his wife. The gathering in New York included some 200 survivors, some wearing winter caps, others wearing kippas. Some smiled as they listened to speeches; others looked on pensively. They touched on recent anti-Semitic attacks in the U.S. and on concerns that younger generations of Americans know little about what they went through.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Strictly's Kevin Clifton and Stacey Dooley share photos from their pre-Christmas trip to New YorkStrictly couple Kevin Clifton and Stacey Dooley enjoyed some rare time off together
Read more »
Director's Reel: Rian Johnson reflects on the legacy of 'The Last Jedi' as the end of the Skywalker Saga approachesThe 'Knives Out' director shares his memories and insights into some of the movies — and TV episodes — he’s directed over the course of his still-young career.
Read more »
Giuliani says he's 'more of a Jew' than Holocaust survivor George SorosThe president's personal lawyer pushes unfounded conspiracy theories and lobs insults in rambling interview with New York Magazine; expresses hope that he will be picked to defend the president in Senate impeachment trial.
Read more »
Fendi's New Scented Bag Conjures Childhood MemoriesLike a Cabbage Patch Kid, but it's fashion.
Read more »