Westchester County Yom Hashoah Commemoration at Kol Ami

Cantor Mo Glazman of Congregation Kol Ami will be joined by distinguished speakers and choirs to commemorate the Holocaust on Sunday May 2, at 2 pm at Congregation Kol Ami in White Plains. Among the speakers are: Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino; Melvin Federbush, a Holocaust survivor who was at two concentration camps and escaped from a cattle car while being transported by the Nazis; Susan Rothschild, who witnessed “Kristallnacht” at age 10; Tina Strobos, whose family saved nearly 100 Jews by hiding them in a special room her father built inside their Amsterdam home, and Barbara Tartell, a daughter of Holocaust survivors who lives in Scarsdale. Public officials from around Westchester are also expected to attend.

The program will include songs led by Cantor Mo Glazman (also the child of a Holocaust survivor) of Congregation Kol Ami, who will be joined by the Congregational Choir and Or Chadash Choir of Kol Ami as well as the Dallas-based Temple Emanu-El Choir, led by Cantor Richard Cohn.

The program is organized annually by the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) and is co-sponsored by the Westchester Jewish Council and Congregation Kol Ami. After the ceremony, guests will be invited to visit The Garden of Remembrance, located in front of the Michaelian Office Building at 148 Martine Avenue in White Plains. The Garden was created by HHREC.

“It’s now 66 years since World War II ended, ” said Donna Cohen, executive director of HHREC. “With each passing year, there are fewer Holocaust survivors to tell the world first-hand about what they saw and about the dangers of bigotry. As time marches on, these stories become more and more vital to the history of the Jewish people -- and serve as a constant reminder to the world about the critical importance of respect for human rights everywhere.”

The event is free and open to the public.

Congregation Kol Ami
252 Soundview Avenue
White Plains, NY 10606
Sunday May 1, 2:00 PM

Earlier that day, at 9:15 am Kol Ami is hosting an Open House to welcome prospective temple members. This is an opportunity for visitors to see the school in action, meet the rabbis, cantor, the director of the Early Childhood Program and Religious School Principal. Childcare and a light breakfast will be provided. For more information contact Janet Hershey at 949-4717 ext. 115.