Jul 3, 2014 By: mta
Yehoshua Szafranski ('14)
For this year's Yom HaShoah program at MTA, we wanted to do something a little different. We therefore had students play an active role in the memorial candle lighting ceremony; and student representatives from every grade spoke briefly about a relative, or a role model, who perished in the Holocaust. We also hosted an esteemed scholar, Mr. Naftali Friedman (a YU alumnus), who represented his father, Mr. Alex Friedman, a Holocaust survivor, and showed us moving segments from his incredible, award-winning, documentary "More Precious than Pearls." I would venture to say what made this year's program particularly special, though, was the theme that we chose: "appreciation". The program thus stressed the fact that we must of course recognizewhat was lost during the Holocaust and appreciate the tremendous loss of life, of so much lost potential, which can ever be replaced. But more than that, we should appreciate what we have now. We should appreciate what those who perished stood for. And we must never take for granted our own freedom that we are privileged to live with here in America, nor the tremendous gift of Medinat Yisrael, and the incredible institutions and communities of Torah and Judaism that have been created. G-d has given us remarkable resources and opportunities... What are we going to do with them?
You can see more pictures of our inspiring Yom HaShoah program here.
