Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorating the day the Auschwitz extermination camp was liberated from the Nazis.
Emunah students at the Beit Weinstein School in Bnei Brak are learning about the Shoah from the stories of survivors. Due to the corona pandemic, it was impossible to meet in person so the students were given photocopied testimonies from the Yad Vashem website. Two students: Michal Rosenblatt and Shirel Matuk chose to learn the story of survivor Eliyahu Yakir, and the girls spent several months researching his life. The written testimony moved them so much that they decided to send an email to Yad Vashem in order to find out if the survivor was alive, or if God forbid he had died, how can they find out more about his life?
Two days later they were very surprised to receive a personal phone call from Eliyahu himself. They soon organized a zoom that lasted several hours in which they discovered new things about the life and family of this special man. The girls are determined to continue to be in touch with him!
Meeting him was very exciting for them. His personal story shook them and left a mark on their hearts. They understood the importance of being the last generation to hear living testimony. Following the Zoom meeting, the girls were able to present his story to the other students.
This ‘small’ story shows the importance of continuity of education and awareness of the horrors of the Holocaust. We will never forget. Am Yisrael Chai.