By Lauren Bloomberg
This week’s Torah portion is Emor, from the book of Leviticus. The word Emor means “say” and emor appears three times in the first sentence of portion: “And Adonai said to Moses: Say to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and you shall say to them” (Leviticus 21:1). Rashi suggests that the second use of say is a direct address to Moses to speak to the Kohanim, Aaron’s sons, and the third mention of you shall say is an instruction to the Kohanim to speak to the next generation. This interpretation suggests that it is the obligation of parents to reinforce to their children the responsibility of passing along stories and information to the next generation.
Two weeks ago, our community gathered at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center for our Holocaust Day of Remembrance (Yom HaShoah) Commemoration. Our community joined together to remember and honor the lives of the 6 million Jews and 5 million others who were systematically targeted and murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933-1945. We remembered the 11 million precious lives that were exterminated, each of whom had hopes, dreams, and plans for the future. During the Commemoration, we heard from six families whose inspiring family Holocaust stories emphasized to us that the Nazis did not accomplish their ultimate goal- as the Jewish people have survived and are thriving. We heard and witnessed second, third and fourth generation descendants fulfilling the obligation of retelling their family stories. Their message underscored that the Holocaust is a part of our history that can never be forgotten.
Last month, I had the privilege of traveling with 21 other members of our community to Poland and Austria on the Buffalo Jewish Federation’s Exploring our Roots trip. On the final day in Vienna, I had the special opportunity to visit my grandfather’s family home. The building situated in the Jewish area of Vienna, Leopoldstadt. I stood in front of 41 Zircusgasse, the home where my grandfather, his parents, sister, brother-in-law and two nephews lived until the Nazis confiscated their home. In front of our group, I retold my family’s story using the presentation I share when speaking to students in our community. This is a moment I will forever have etched in my memory and is the reason why I will never stop educating about the Holocaust. Now more than ever we need to follow the Torah’s teachings and “say” our stories so the past is never forgotten!
Lauren Bloomberg is the Director of HERO and a proud third generation Holocaust descendant
