Honoring Memory, Ensuring "Never Again": Philadelphia's 61st Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony

On Sunday, April 27, around 200 people gathered at the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza for the 61st Annual Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony.

In observance of Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), this year’s program included first-hand stories from Holocaust Survivors and commemorative speeches by local leaders and featured candle lighting, music, and prayers.

Led by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Jewish Community Relations Council, the program was supported by ADL Philadelphia, AJC Philadelphia/Southern NJ, Children of Jewish Holocaust Survivors Association, Holocaust Awareness Museum, Jewish Children's Folkshul and Adult Community, Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Sons and Daughters of Holocaust Survivors of Greater Philadelphia, and 3GPhilly.

Yizkor Committee Co-Chair Sarita Gocial led the ceremony's efforts. During the program, she was honored for her years of service to Holocaust education and remembrance. 

“I feel grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to participate in this fundamental tradition for our Greater Philadelphia community,” said Gocial, a daughter of Holocaust Survivors. “I felt that it was important for me to become involved because of what’s going on in the world today. It’s my responsibility as a Jewish woman and a mother to make sure that the next generations know what really happened and make sure that they never let it happen again.”

Echoing Gocial’s belief in educating the next generation about past horrors, this year’s ceremony embraced the theme l’dor v’dor — the Jewish value of passing traditions and knowledge through generations.

See below to find out more about the ceremony: 

Community members, Survivors, religious leaders and allies gathered for the 61st Annual Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony.

A solemn moment of remembrance as community members lit candles to honor the six million Jewish lives lost during the Holocaust.

Pastor Carl Day of Culture Changing Christians spoke in solidarity at the Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony, demonstrating the power of interfaith partnerships and the importance of the Black and Jewish community coming together in combating hatred.

The ceremony honored Sarita Gocial for her long-standing leadership on the Yizkor Committee and her unwavering commitment to Holocaust education and remembrance in Greater Philadelphia.

Members of the Yizkor Planning Committee at the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza.

Holocaust and generational Survivors as well as attendees placed stones on the Monument to the Six Million Jewish Martyrs in memory of those who perished during the Shoah.

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To see more photos from the ceremony, click here. The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia is dedicated to commemorating the Holocaust, honoring the memory of those who perished, and promoting an understanding of its consequences through educational programming, advocacy, and direct support services for aging Survivors. To learn more, click here.