Holocaust Remembrance Program at Temple Emunah

The following press release was provided on behalf of .

Temple Emunah will hold its Holocaust Remembrance (Yom HaShoah) Program on Thursday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m. While in previous years, programs have focused on the past, this year, we will bring ourselves to the present: What should be our own active response to the Shoah?

The program will be based upon the work of Facing History and Ourselves, an organization that believes that education is the key to combating bigotry and nurturing democracy. They work with educators to improve their effectiveness in the classroom, as well as their students' academic performance and civic learning. Through a rigorous investigation of the events that led to the Holocaust, as well as other recent examples of genocide and mass violence, students in a Facing History class learn to combat prejudice with compassion, indifference with participation, and myth and misinformation with knowledge.

Facilitators Shira Deener and Judi Bohn will help us become more aware of universal issues through the eyes of the particular story of the Holocaust. Their presentation will speak directly to the notion that each of us has the potential to respond to the moment when someone around us can use our help and support when they are experiencing intolerant behavior. They will also discuss their programming, which has reached the minds and hearts of nearly two million young people annually, in the US and abroad.

Facing History and Ourselves will be followed by the world premiere performance of a piece for chorus and instrumental ensemble by the award-winning composer Adam Jacob Simon – entitled Facing Forward: Songs in Response to the Shoah. The lyrics are based upon Jewish texts and writings that take us along a path from recognizing that all of us were created with the inclination to do evil as well as the inclination to do good, to being of aware of the dangers of indifference, to loving our neighbor as ourselves, and to always pursue peace. Adam Simon’s music reflects in a powerfully dynamic way the message of Facing History and Ourselves.

The performers will include Temple Emunah’s chorus, the Mak’haylah, joined by singers from the choruses of , the , and the , vocal soloists, and a musical ensemble.

The April 19 Yom Ha’Shoah program is free and open to the public. Located at 9 Piper Road in Lexington, is wheelchair accessible and has listening devices available on request. For more information please call (781) 861-0300 or visit our website at www.templeemunah.org.