Cape Town - Cape Town’s Jewish population turned out in their numbers to attend the Yom HaShoah veHagvurah memorial ceremony at the Jewish Cemetery Number 2 in Pinelands.
The event paid tribute to the six million Jewish lives lost in the Holocaust during World War II.
Members of the Cape South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), students from Herzlia High School, members of the Israeli embassy, and generational survivors from the Holocaust were all in attendance to pay respects.
Some of the stand-out moments included the laying of stones on the Holocaust Memorial. Tzvi Brivik, member of the Cape SAJBD, said that the laying of stones was significant as it served as a more permanent reminder of the pain and hardships that so many families experienced and suffered.
Michal Roozendaal, a first-generation survivor, emotionally recalled his experiences of the Holocaust, something he said he does not like to talk about.
A spokesperson read out his emotional story and tribute on his behalf and shed light on the true reality of what being a Jewish person was like during the 1940s.
Roozendaal’s speech ended with a plea to never forget those who survived and made it possible for events like this to take place
Hila Rose Fridman, a third-generation survivor, and deputy Israeli ambassador, told her story of her grandfather’s Holocaust experience.
She said she learnt so much about her family’s history and that despite the pain of what they went through, her family always spoke openly about what had happened. She believes that she, as a third-generation survivor, stands to learn a lot more about the magnitude of the Holocaust.
The mass turnout and support showed the efforts to never forget the tragedy of the past and the lives of those who were affected. They believe it is their eternal duty as the Jewish community to pay homage to the lives lost.
