Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey marks Yom HaShoah

23 April 2026, 9:54 am
Children lit a candle in memory of the children who died in the Shoah. From left: Aliza Melzer, honoree Miriam Rak, Olivia Rubenstein, Vladi Bronstein, honoree Israel Raikher, Will Rubenstein, honoree Betty Scharf, and Naama Melzer. (All photos courtesy JFNNJ)

Children lit a candle in memory of the children who died in the Shoah. From left: Aliza Melzer, honoree Miriam Rak, Olivia Rubenstein, Vladi Bronstein, honoree Israel Raikher, Will Rubenstein, honoree Betty Scharf, and Naama Melzer.

Honoree Betty Scharf lights a candle. She was escorted by her cousin, Vladi Brunstein.

Honoree Miriam Rak lights a candle, assisted by Allen Zaks.

Steven Skybell sings; Zalmen Mlotek plays piano.

Honoree Israel Raikher and his son, Michael, listen as Sam Heidenberg tells Mr. Raikher’s story.

From left: Dr. Charles Knapp (Congregation B’nai Sholom/Fair Lawn Jewish Center), Seymour Schlossberg (Shomrei Torah-Wayne), Rabbi Ronald Roth (CBS/FLJC), Rabbi Jennifer Schlosberg (Glen Rock Jewish Center), and David Schwartz (Temple Beth Rishon) hold Czech sifrei Torah as Steven Skybell and Zalmen Mlotek sing the Partisan Hymn.

Toby Smulewitz, right, reads the Legacy Acceptance in Yiddish. Gale S. Bindelglass read the English translation.

The Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey marked Yom HaShoah with a Holocaust remembrance program at Temple Beth Rishon in Wyckoff on April 12.

Honorees included Israel Raikher, Miriam Rak, and Betty Scharf. Children lit candles in memory of the 1 1/2 million children who were murdered  in the Shoah.

Zalmen Mlotek, artistic director of the National Yiddish Theatre-Folksbiene, and Tony Award-winner Steven Skybell performed “Songs of the Holocaust.”

There also was an art exhibit, “Elie Wiesel: The Eighteen Portraits” by Meyer Uranovsky.

For information, go to JFNNJ.org