Yom HaShoah commemorations
Jeannie Opdyke Smith will be the keynote speaker for Rockland County’s community-wide Yom HaShoah commemoration on Sunday, April 8, at 5 p.m. This year’s memorial will be at the Orangetown Jewish Center, 8 Independence Ave., in Orangeburg.
Jeannie Opdyke Smith is the daughter of Irene Gut Opdyke, a Polish woman who rescued Jews during the Holocaust. Irene, who died in 2003, received international recognition for her bravery during the Holocaust as she worked as a housekeeper for a high-ranking German official. Irene’s life story was told on Broadway in the nationally acclaimed play “Irena’s Vow” starring Tovah Feldshuh.
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On Monday, April 9, at 12:30 p.m., Ms. Smith will speak in the Technology Center, Ellipse, at Rockland Community College, 145 College Road in Suffern. Her topic will be “How Do We Tell These Stories? Connecting the Holocaust with Humanity.”
Ms. Smith is part of a new generation of Holocaust speakers who share life stories from their parents’ first-hand experiences. She is a member and speaker for the Oregon & Washington Holocaust Speakers Bureau, a regular speaker for the Anti-Defamation League, the Bearing Witness program, and the Jewish Federation of North America.
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The Justice Brandeis Law Society has a Yom HaShoah commemoration on Sunday, April 11, at 3 p.m., in the Rockland County Courthouse, Jury Room, 2nd Floor, 1 South Main St., in New City. Alexander Levy is the keynote speaker. For information, call (845) 574-4099, or email awinograd@holocauststudies.org.
Events are hosted by the Holocaust Museum & Center for Tolerance and Education in Suffern. For information, call (845) 574-4099 or go to holocauststudies.org.
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