Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family Service honored nearly 100 Holocaust survivors from Palm Beach County during its sixth annual Holocaust Survivor Day last month at Temple Beth Tikvah in Lake Worth.
Established in 2021 to recognize and uplift Holocaust survivors with a day of joy, dignity, and appreciation, Holocaust Survivor Day is now commemorated around the world. The local event, hosted by Alpert JFS, featured a moving and celebratory program, including:
- A tribute to the significance of Holocaust Survivor Day
- Performances of the U.S. and Israeli national anthems
- Presentation of proclamations from the state and Palm Beach County
- Recognition of the survivors in attendance
- Lunch, live music, singing, and dancing
More than 150 guests – including survivors, their families, local dignitaries, and Alpert JFS leadership – attended in tribute to the survivors and their enduring legacy.
“Holocaust Survivor Day is an opportunity to celebrate Holocaust survivors’ resilience, their strength, and the remarkable lives they have built in the face of unimaginable adversity,” said Eva Weiss, lead Holocaust care manager and community education specialist at Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family Service. “The generation gathered with us today were children—many of them just babies—during the Holocaust. Now, most are in their 80s, and our oldest participant today is 105 years old. If we wait too long, there will come a time when there are no living survivors left to share not only their personal stories, but also the enduring messages of peace, compassion, hope, and joy that they carry with them.”
Alpert JFS currently serves over 200 Holocaust survivors across Palm Beach, Martin, Okeechobee, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties through its Holocaust Survivors Assistance Program, providing essential services such as in-home care, care coordination, emergency financial aid, mental health counseling, transportation, and more. This event was partly made possible thanks to a $5,000 Micro-Grant Award from the Seed the Dream Foundation.
Photos courtesy of Jeffrey Tholl
