Holocaust Remembrance events are largely virtual again this year, thanks to the pandemic. The local commemoration of Yom HaShoah expands to a week in 2021. Holocaust and Humanity Center CEO Sarah Weiss says it's to give everyone a chance to view what's planned.
"One of the main purposes of Yom HaShoah is really for the survivor community. And while many of them now are on Zoom, there's still quite a few who aren't. So that's why we were really looking for a way to make this available on television."
Weiss says CET has produced a 30 minute special which airs Sunday afternoon. She says there are still a couple hundred Holocaust survivors living in the area.
She says 76 years after the liberation of concentration camps, there are still lessons to be learned. "The couple hundred survivors … came here with nothing and rebuilt. Most of them committed to rebuilding their lives, giving back to the community, bringing forth another generation. That resilience of the human spirit is something that should serve as an inspiration for us."
Weiss says the online events this year include Governor Mike DeWine's Holocaust Commemoration, survivors' stories, and student performances.
Organizers delivered special packages of candles, plant seeds and messages to survivors in the area.
