On Jan. 20, at Beverly Hills City Hall, Mayor Sharona Nazarian hosted a panel called “Never Again Is Now, Bearing Witness: Stories of Courage & Resilience.” In honor of Holocaust Remembrance, the community hosted four Holocaust survivors to speak. It was a special, saddening and important night, especially because we are among the last generations of people who will get to hear survivors speak.
Eva Perlman, Ella Mandel, Susanne Reyto and 103-year-old Joseph Alexander shared their heartbreaking stories of living through World War 2. They talked about their experiences, including the atrocities they witnessed in the concentration camps, and what advice they have for this generation.
It was a very meaningful experience to hear their vastly different stories from the concentration camps, to prison, hard labour camps, losing family, living in the ghettos and hiding in non-Jewish homes. Alexander lived through 12 camps, including Auschwitz.
Moderator Frank Motteck asked them what message they had for everyone attending this panel. Reyto said, “The best way to leave my legacy is to ask people to become the ambassadors of information so the future generations know what happened…I don’t believe antisemitism can be eliminated; it is one of the oldest hatreds, but it certainly can be mitigated…we can never give up because we do not know what tomorrow brings.”
She also shared a quote from Eli Weisel, “If you hear a witness, you become a witness”. She said, “I think everybody here tonight has become a witness to the real stories, and we need you to pass them on.”
As antisemitism rises, it is increasingly important to stand up to hate. When asked about her reaction to Holocaust deniers and ignorance, Perlma said “I find that antisemitism is now worse than it was during the Second World War…it was very limited to Germany, Poland, Hungary, and so forth…now it is global. It’s everywhere. We have to fight, we have to resist. I’m full of hope, and I’m full of gratitude for everything.”
As the survivors stressed, in this time of rising ignorance and hate, it is important to stay educated and pass along the stories of history, which can be done by listening to and sharing their experiences. The speakers at the panel shared their wisdom and experiences, ensuring that future generations will remember and share their stories.
