Author Pamela Sampson to Speak at Community-Wide Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration at the MJCCA�s Besser Holocaust Memorial Garden

On Sunday, April 28, 2019, from 3:30-4:30 pm, the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA) will invite the entire community to come together for a special Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) commemoration ceremony at the MJCCA’s Besser Holocaust Memorial Garden, one of the preeminent Holocaust Memorials in the Southeast. This year's guest speaker is Author Pamela Sampson, who wrote, No Reply: A Jewish Child Aboard the MS St. Louis and the Ordeal That Followed. The topic is especially meaningful because 2019 is the 80th anniversary of the voyage of the MS St. Louis. The program is free of charge, and will take place at the MJCCA, (5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody). Rain or Shine. For information, visit atlantajcc.org/yomhashoah or call 678.812.4161.

About the Guest Speaker

Pamela Sampson is an editor and former foreign correspondent for The Associated Press, one of the world’s largest news agencies. She is also co-author, along with Holocaust survivor Henry Gallant, of No Reply: A Jewish Child Aboard the MS St. Louis and the Ordeal That Followed.

No Reply tells the story of Henry’s narrow escape from the Nazis. Henry was born on October 30, 1928 in Berlin. After the violence of the Kristallnacht pogrom in November 1938, Henry’s parents made the decision to leave Germany. They bought tickets for ocean passage aboard the MS St. Louis, which sailed from Germany on May 13, 1939.

The ship, with more than 900 Jewish refugees, was denied permission to land in Cuba, the United States, and Canada. The passengers were forced to return to Europe, where many fell into the hands of the Nazis. Henry and his mother embarked on a harrowing journey through France, running and hiding from the Nazis and their collaborators until they managed a narrow escape to neutral Switzerland. Henry’s father was detained in a French internment camp for two years until he was deported in August 1942 to Auschwitz, where he died.

Sampson’s journalistic work has taken her to countries throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post and many other publications. No Reply is her first book. She lives in Sandy Springs with her son, Joshua.

About Yom HaShoah

Yom HaShoah (also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day”) – "Shoah" is Hebrew for destruction and is another name for the Holocaust. This day commemorates the six million Jews who died during the Holocaust. At the same time, it marks the anniversary of the heroic Warsaw Ghetto uprising of 1943. Jews around the world hold memorials and vigils, often lighting six candles in honor of the six million Holocaust victims.

About the MJCCA’s Yom HaShoah Commemoration (RAIN or SHINE) – (April 28, 2019)

Each year, a special, community-wide Yom HaShoah commemoration is held at the Besser Holocaust Memorial Garden at the MJCCA. Holocaust Survivor Abe Besser and his wife Marlene Gelertner Besser built this Memorial to commemorate that horrific time, and to serve as a valuable teaching mechanism to remind and educate on what hatred and indifference can do.

Additional Yom HaShoah Program Highlights

• Remember the victims of the Holocaust with readings and memorial prayers;
• Experience the lighting of six torches in memory of those who perished in the Holocaust.

About the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA)

Impacting more than 60,000 people annually, the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA) is welcoming to people of all faiths, ages, and backgrounds. The MJCCA is committed to strengthening the quality of life in Atlanta and is recognized as one of the most highly-regarded Jewish community centers in the nation. Our three acclaimed preschools (The Weinstein School, The Schiff School, and The Sunshine School), award-winning camps, outstanding cultural events, and invigorating sports and fitness programs engage and connect the community.

Contact Info:             

For information, visit atlantajcc.org/yomhashoah or call 678.812.4161.

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