The annual Yom Hashoah Memorial Service, held on Monday 6th May 2024, was attended by more than 600 members of our community including Holocaust survivors, 2nd/3rd/4th generation survivors, religious leaders, community leaders, political parties, consulates, school students and more. This solemn event, where we came together to honour the memory of the six million Jews who perished during the Holocaust, was held at the Pinelands Jewish Cemetery 2, featuring a diverse programme of messages, prayers, poems, and songs.
This year marked the 80th anniversary of the deportation of the 1 900 Jews from Rhodes as well as 44 000 Jews from Hungary. The keynote speaker, Isaac Habib, a second-generation survivor, provided a poignant account and testimony of his late mother, Lucia Capellutoโs, survival from Rhodes. She is buried at the Pinelands Jewish Cemetery. Isaac read out the testimony, written by his mother to her mentor a few years after the Holocaust, about her deportation and survival from Auschwitz and Bergen Belsen and her eventual move to South Africa. This narrative offered a deeply personal and moving perspective on those tragic events.
Adrienne Jacobson, Chair of the Cape South African Jewish Board of Deputies, delivered a powerful opening address, setting the tone for remembrance and reflection. Ethan Werb, Head Student of Herzlia High, emphasised the involvement of younger generations in preserving the memory of the Holocaust and educating future generations on the consequences of hatred and indifference.
A particularly touching moment occurred when the Holocaust survivors, supported by their families, lit candles in memory of the victims.
This symbolic act of remembrance underscored the resilience and strength of those who endured the horrors of the Holocaust.
Israeli Ambassador Eli Belotsercovsky contributed to the ceremony through a video message, highlighting the global significance of remembering the Holocaust and its lessons for humanity.
Music played a vital role in the ceremony, with singer Dani Bitton and the Herzlia Vocal Ensemble delivering moving performances. The Gardens Shul Choir, along with Chazzan Choni G, added solemnity to the event with traditional prayers and the rousing Partisan Song.
The Chief Rabbi led prayers for both the State of Israel and the IDF, emphasising the ongoing connection between the Jewish people and their homeland, as well as the importance of never forgetting the atrocities of the past. Wreaths were laid by Current and Ex-Servicemen, adding dignity to the memorial.
80 years since the deportation and destruction of the Jewish community of Rhodos
The 80th anniversary of the deportation of the Jews of the idyllic Greek island of Rhodes โ Rhodos to its inhabitants โ occurs in July this year. This anniversary is of particular significance to the Sephardi community of Cape Town, since this small community traces its origins to the island.
The congregation dates from the 1960s: survivors of the Holocaust from Rhodos made their way to Cape Town after having settled in the Belgian Congo and Rhodesia after the War. (The Belgian Congo gained independence from Belgian rule in June 1960, and a period of civil unrest began.)
The genocide of the Jews of Rhodos was particularly brutal. Of the approximately 1 900 people deported, a mere 150 remained at the end of the War. The majority perished in Auschwitz within a very short while of having arrived there.
A small number of Rhodos Jews were saved by the Turkish consul, Selahettin Ulkumen, who identified them as having Turkish citizenship. This included Cape Townโs own Lina Kantor, a young child in 1944, who continued living on the island under German occupation for the rest of the War.
Lina was one of the Cape Town survivors who lit a candle at this yearโs commemorative Yom Hashoah event at the Cape Town Jewish Cemetery.
Cape SA Jewish Board of Deputies website: www.capesajbd.org, Instagram, and Facebook page.
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