The horrors of the Holocaust are seared into the collective Jewish consciousness. For those old enough to have lived through the war, it is part of their personal memory. For younger American Jews, it remains a defining factor in their Jewish identity, as poll after poll reveals.
That will not necessarily be so for future generations, as the narrative of the Nazi genocide moves into the pages of history books.
Certainly the best way to ensure that the story remains vital is to hear it told by those who lived through it — the survivors themselves. That includes those who suffered in the camps, who did forced labor, who fought in the ranks of the partisans, who were hidden children, who moved from ghetto to ghetto — their stories must not be lost.
Helping survivors tell their stories in school classrooms is the most powerful way to pass on this legacy. Bay Area Jewish organizations such as the Holocaust Center of the S.F.-based Jewish Family and Children’s Services and the Jewish Partisans Educational Foundation send survivors and former Jewish partisans to speak in Bay Area schools and other public venues, sharing their experiences both within and outside the Jewish community. Oral history projects ensure that the stories are preserved when the survivors themselves are no longer with us.
But as the Jewish community engages in this vital educational work, we must not neglect the needs of the Holocaust survivors living in our midst, needs that increase every year as the population ages.
Both JFCS and Jewish Family and Community Services of the East Bay have departments dedicated specifically to serving more then 2,600 local Holocaust survivors. Some have been here for decades. Others arrived more recently, as immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Each group has its own specific needs, as well as those shared by all.
The areas of greatest need, according to local experts, are financial help, counseling for depression and past trauma, end-of-life care and health problems. JFCS officials say they are seeing an increase in home-care requests from these now very elderly survivors. Many are poor; many are lonely.
Both agencies are looking for volunteers to spend time with local survivors, helping them get around, cooking their meals or just providing human care and companionship. As we prepare on May 5, Yom HaShoah, to honor the memory of those who perished, let us reach out to care for the living as well.