Some of the youth attending the holocaust commemoration in Cape Town say they are remembering the incident in order to prevent it from ever happening again in the future.
Members of the Jewish community gathered in Pinelands for the annual Holocaust Day or Yom Hashoah.
Every year, Jewish communities around the world pay tribute to the memory of six million men, women and children who were killed during the Holocaust. Cape Town is home to a number of the holocaust survivors such as 102-year-old Ella Blumenthal. This is what some of the learners had to say.
“You must remember the bad things that have happened and you must not let it out of your mind because if you do then they might happen again. So, it’s just very good to know our roots to remember to be proud of being Jewish especially now with the war in Israel. I learnt that we must stay together as one and must never forget. Honour the memory and never forget it’s important. Because it’s our history so it’s important for us to be here. Remembrance prevents re-occurrence. Just always remember we are the future.”
Executive Director for the Cape South Africa Jewish Board of Deputies Daniel Bloch says the Remembrance Day also helps to conscientise young people about their roots so they can know.
“Cape Town has a number of survivors including Ella Blumenthal who is 102. She’s here today, she’s lifted the last memorial candle and I think the significance we have the sayings, “We remember never again” and it’s important to teach our youth and to teach everyone that atrocities like the holocaust over six million people can never be forgotten and we need to learn from the mistakes of the past.”
A lifting of memorial candle flame and wreath laying ceremony on the memorial monument was also observed.
The day also marks the anniversary of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by Jewish resistance movement in Poland, during World War 2.
EDITORIAL NOTE: We earlier referred to the holocaust survivor as Edo but it is Ella Blumenthal.
