On April 13, the Holocaust and Jewish Immigration Memorial of São Paulo hosted a deeply moving and significant ceremony: the Yom HaShoah. Organized by the Jewish community of São Paulo, the event brought together hundreds of people, with a notable presence of young participants, Holocaust survivors, community leaders, authorities, and representatives of civil society.

The opening featured institutional speeches highlighting the importance of memory as an active tool for awareness. Claudio Lottenberg, president of CONIB, stressed that remembering the Holocaust also means taking responsibility for the present: “Yom HaShoah cannot be just memory; it must always serve as a warning.” He emphasized that tragedies begin long before extreme acts—through words, indifference, and the normalization of prejudice.

Célia Parnes, president of the Jewish Federation of São Paulo, reflected on the symbolic weight of the location and the history built in that territory. She recalled the Bom Retiro neighborhood as a place where lives were rebuilt after the war, reinforcing the Memorial’s role as a guardian of truth in times of distortion. “Remembering is a choice and a constant exercise,” she said, underscoring the collective duty to preserve memory.

The most poignant moment of the evening came with the testimony of survivor George Legmann, who moved the audience by sharing his story. Born in the Dachau concentration camp in 1944, he is part of the group known as the “Babies of Dachau,” children who survived after being born in Nazi camps. His words resonated as a symbol of resistance and continuity: “I am living proof that life can flourish even amid absolute horror. I am here because someone believed a baby could survive, and that gave me the duty to tell this story.”

The ceremony was led by Sarita Mucinic Sarue, educational coordinator of the Holocaust Memorial, and included remarks from Israel’s consul in São Paulo, Rafael Erdreich; Rabbi Toive Weitman, director of the Memorial; André Lajst, executive president of StandWithUs Brazil; and youth from the Zionist Youth Council. All emphasized the importance of education and critical reflection on the Shoah as a way to combat denialism, antisemitism, and all forms of intolerance. Leaders also reaffirmed the significance of Israel’s existence as the national home of the Jewish people—ensuring continuity, security, and self-determination.

The closing was marked by a moment of profound emotion: six candles were lit in memory of the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis, in a ritual led by survivors alongside young people. The scene symbolized the touching transmission of memory’s legacy to new generations.

Following the solemn ceremony, attendees participated in the opening of the exhibition “They Gave Us Hope Again – Pregnancy and Birth in the Kaufering 1 Subcamp, Dachau,” presented by survivor George Legmann.

Created by the Dachau Memorial in Germany, the exhibition highlights one of the most singular episodes in Holocaust history: the birth and survival of seven babies in a system designed for death. Comprising 37 panels with documents and historical records, the exhibition invites the public to reflect on life, resistance, and humanity amid barbarity.

The Yom HaShoah ceremony reaffirmed the commitment of São Paulo’s Jewish community to preserving Holocaust memory and to the ongoing fight against hatred and intolerance—showing once again that remembering is also an act of resistance.

Images: Silas Anastacio

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)