By: centraljersey.com
MONROE – "Hear Us Speak: Voices of the Second and Third Generations" is the subject of this year’s annual Henry Ricklis Memorial Committee Monroe Township Public Library program.
The program is at the library on Sunday, Oct. 3, at 1:30 p.m. The library is off Perrineville Road in the Monroe Municipal Complex.
The program focuses on the aftermath of the Holocaust as it is experienced by the children and grandchildren of the original survivors. Sol Lurie and Judith Sherman, who are survivors, each will introduce their respective family members.
Mr. Lurie will introduce his daughter, Carole Sokol, and granddaughter, Celina, 14. Ms. Sherman will introduce her daughter, Dr. Ora Gelb, and granddaughter, Ilana Gelb, 16.
There will be a multigenerational picture of how the Holocaust is experienced in people’s post-Holocaust lives.
The panel of speakers may consider such issues as how the Holocaust impacted their lives; feelings of being Jewish and attitudes toward non-Jews; parenting style and relationships; attitudes about specific issues such as ethnic cleansing, anti-Semitism, Israel; their sense of their own strength and resiliency; how to cope with hate and intolerance; their legacy; and how to contribute a new vitality to the Jewish people and all people.
Audience members will be asked to share some of their own personal experiences. This is a personal discussion, not an academic seminar. It will discuss how the Holocaust continues to impact on multigenerational families and the world.
Ricklis member Renee Balaban will discuss briefly the Holocaust connections to Israel. In spite of the British blockade, some Jews did manage to escape to Israel during the war and more after the war when most countries still refused to accept the now displaced persons with no country of refuge.
Jews today know that as long as there is an Israel, contrary to the Holocaust, there also will be a safe haven for them. Had Israel not been there, the contributions of the survivors who did make it to Israel and their offspring would have been lost to the world.
Ricklis President Jay Brown will introduce the program and chair the panel discussion.
Program chairpersons are Renee Balaban, Evelyn Goldstein and Ms. Sherman, with help from other Ricklis members.
Mr. Lurie and Ms. Sherman have shared their Holocaust experiences with varied audiences. Ms. Sherman is author of the memoir, "Say the Name. A Survivor’s Tale in Prose and Poetry," University of New Mexico Press.
They are residents of Monroe Township and involved in Holocaust education activities.
Admission is free. For information, contact Mr. Brown at 732-251-6498 or the library at 732-521-5000.
