80th Anniversary International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Description

On this International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Rabbi Barras will moderate stories and songs by Holocaust Survivors and community members including Laszlo Selly, Aley Sheer, and Andrea LeVine Kay for a meaningful program in memory and honor of all who we lost in the horrific atrocities of the Holocaust and WWII. Following the stories, songs and candle lighting, we will be joined by guest speaker and Mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Lion and Jerusalem Foundation.

About Mayor Moshe Lion:

Mr. Moshe Lion was elected the 10th Mayor of Jerusalem in 2018 and re-elected for his second term in 2024. The City Council under his leadership is a united coalition with no opposition. As Mayor, his priorities include improving the quality of life for the city’s diverse residents, empowering local economic growth, rapid development of housing throughout the entire city, and strengthening international connection to the city for people of all faiths. Mayor Lion has vast experience in public service. For the five years preceding his election as Mayor, Mr. Lion served as a City Councilman and as Chairman of Jerusalem’s 28 community committees. Mr. Lion, among other positions, also served as Chairman of the Jerusalem Development Authority and Chairman of Israel Railways. Mr. Lion’s first governmental appointment, in 1997, was Director General and Senior Economic Advisor of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Office.

Mayor Lion’s public service history is rooted in his previous work as a businessman and CPA. He was the founding partner of Lion, Orlitzki and Partners, a leading CPA firm in Israel and member of the Moore Stephens International Partnership, one of the world’s largest CPA and consulting firms.

About Laszlo Selly:

Laszlo and his twin brother were born in Budapest, Hungary, on December 31, 1937, into a middle-class, secular Jewish family. At just six years old, he remembered his mother sewing a yellow star onto his outer garments. Desperate to protect their twins, Laszlo’s parents made the heartbreaking decision to send them into hiding. This plan led them into great danger, forcing their return to the family.

Laszlo’s father later obtained a Raoul Wallenberg certificate of protection, enabling the family to move to a safe house. After liberation by the Soviets, Laszlo and his twin brother continued their education in Hungary amidst intense communist indoctrination. They escaped Hungary during the 1956 Revolution and made their way to New York, where Laszlo became a successful photographer.

Currently residing in South Florida with his wife Gail, Laszlo regularly shares his story with students at the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach (HMMB). He is also a talented photographer, and his series of Holocaust survivor portraits, “Visages of Memory,” might be a powerful addition to the event. I can ask Laszlo if displaying these photographs would be possible.

Laszlo’s Website
Memoir – “The Yellow Star House”: Available on his website or through the HMMB.