An evening which included music, singing and a host of awards, was creatively set within a framework defined by the immortal words, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
The phrase was repeated often on Sept. 13 at the 3rd Annual Remembrance Awards Dinner held by Voices for Truth and Humanity at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury.
The organization, whose mission is to fight hate and intolerance by promoting a curriculum on the Holocaust and all genocides in public schools, hosted numerous dignitaries, elected officials, and prominent guests among the more than 200 in attendance. Those included New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, New York State Assemblyman Steve Stern, New York State Regent Roger Tilles, New York Board of Rabbis Executive Vice President Rabbi Joe Potasnik, Founder & CEO of the Jewish Broadcasting Service Rabbi Mark S. Golub, Prime Minister of the East Turkistan Government-in-Exile Salih Hudayar, and member of the Bielski Partisans and Holocaust survivor Martin Bloch.
Public Service Awards were presented to New York State Senator Anna Kaplan and New York State Assemblywoman Nily Rozic for their relentless work in authoring legislation to strengthen Holocaust Education in New York State public schools which was recently signed by Governor Hochul. An award was also presented to City National Bank as the event’s corporate honoree for their tremendous support, while the Jewish Broadcasting Service deservedly received this year’s Media Award. Gurwin Healthcare System President and CEO Stuart Almer showed a very moving video of several Holocaust survivors who are being cared for in Gurwin’s Fay J. Lindner Residences, some of whom were also in attendance and received an ovation from the audience.
The evening’s speakers acknowledged the organization’s vital work, and sounded a common theme that the rising atmosphere of hate, intolerance and antisemitism is a warning to not allow today’s children to become the next generation of victims and bystanders due to their ignorance of history.
Visit www.V4TH.org to volunteer, support or learn more about Voices for Truth and Humanity.
—Submitted by Voices for Truth and Humanity
Upstanders For Holocaust Education
Jack Britvan, Angel Cepeda, Rabbi Joe Potasnik congratulating Rabbi Mark Golub, founding president, JBS TV and recipient of the Media Award.
