Mason's Mitzvah Project - Holocaust Education

For my mitzvah project I would like to raise awareness about the Holocaust and it's remaining Survivors. Four of my great-grandparents, Lili and Elias Green and Brenda and Herman Marczak, survived the Holocaust. My Bubby Brenda and Zeidi Herman survived the concentration camps. My Bubby Lili was hidden in a monastery and passed as Catholic to survive. And my Zeidi Green fought in the resistance with the Czech army. They all have courageous stories and my hope is that, for my Bar Mitzvah, my friends and family will read/listen to their stories and be advocates for and allies to the Jewish people, because anti-semitism is still alive and well, and my great-grandparents didn't survive those horrors only for it to happen again a few generations later. As Jews, we vow "never again". We can't allow history to repeat itself.

 

My mitzvah project has two parts - education and fundraising. Please visit the following links to educate yourself about what it was like to survive the Holocaust. My Zeidi Herman told his story to the Shoah Foundation, and my other great-grandparents have profiles published at portraitsofhonor.org. You can read their stories here:

 

Video Testimony of Herman Marczak

http://portraitsofhonor.org/POHSurvPage.aspx?svid=238 

http://portraitsofhonor.org/POHSurvPage.aspx?svid=237 

http://portraitsofhonor.org/POHSurvPage.aspx?svid=447 

http://portraitsofhonor.org/POHSurvPage.aspx?svid=446 

 

The second part of my project is fundraising. I'm raising money to benefit KAVOD ~ Ensuring Dignity for Holocaust Survivors. The KAVOD SHEF initiative gives aid to Holocaust Survivors living in Poverty (about 30,000 Survivors) in over 30 cities across the US. 100% of all dollars received by KAVOD SHEF goes to the Survivors in the form of gift cards to grocery stores, pharmacies and other service providers, as well as assistance with rent, medicals bills, utilities, and many other financial needs that may arise. KAVOD SHEF partners with Service Agencies and provides a secondary resource for the Holocaust Survivors. These brave individuals should never have to experience hunger or financial instability ever again. Kavod allows them to live out their remaining years with dignity and respect, and without the fear of not knowing how they will pay their bills. No donation is too big or too small. Please visit Kavod for information.

 

Thank you so much for contributing to my Mitzvah Project.