YOUNGSTOWN Events to recall the Holocaust

YOUNGSTOWN -- The Jewish Community Relations Council, in conjunction with the Board of Rabbis of Greater Youngstown, is announcing its annual programs for this spring's series of Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance) holiday observances.
The theme is "Remembering the Past for the Sake of the Future," marking the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the genocide of European Jews.
Each program will examine the obligation of all people to learn the lessons of the Holocaust to prevent future genocide. Emphasis will be placed on the reinforcement of Holocaust education of youth so they are prepared for societal challenges they will face as adults.
The eighth annual community Holocaust Commemoration will be at noon April 20 in the rotunda of the Mahoning County Courthouse, 120 Market St., Youngstown.
It will feature a presentation to area teachers for excellence in Holocaust education. The event will also feature the recognition of the winners of JCRC's annual student Holocaust writing contest, as well as a presentation by playwrite J.E. Ballentyne, author of the new Anne Frank drama, "The Secret Annexe," which will have its world premiere in Youngstown on May 3.
The program will close with a memorial candlelighting ceremony to honor the 6 million martyrs of the Holocaust.
More: The annual Shoah Memorial Ceremony will be at 3 p.m. April 22 at the Jewish Community Center. It will feature a performance of the Youngstown Area Holocaust Impact Theater. Comprised of high school members of the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization of the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys, the troupe will perform originally written and produced vignettes on issues and events related to the Holocaust.
The ceremony will also include a series of Holocaust-inspired readings, historical perspective by Dr. Saul Friedman, Youngstown State University professor of history, and a candlelighting ceremony led by survivors.
The Holocaust Commemoration and Education Task Force, a committee of the JCRC, is chaired by Rabbi Joseph Schonberger, a child of Holocaust survivors, and is comprised of numerous survivors, children of survivors, and other interested volunteers from the Shenango and Mahoning valleys.
For further information on the events, contact the JCRC office at (330) 746-3251.