Temple Israel of Lawrence hosts Holocaust remembrance and Rev. D. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration on Jan. 28

Commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day and celebrating the work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Temple Israel of Lawrence will host its 17th annual event on Jan. 28 a 7 p.m.

“Temple Israel is bringing together and hosting the largest coalition of religious institutions, houses of worship and spiritual leaders across the religious spectrum to make the state ‘never again,’” Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum stated in a news release. Rosenbaum leads the Temple Israel congregation.

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran and Consul General of Germany in New York David Gill are the event chairs. Rabbis Steven Graber and Claudio Kupchik, of Temple Hillel in North Woodmere and Temple Beth El in Cedarhurst, respectively, are two of the many spiritual leaders that are expected to attend.

Rev. Aqueelah Ligonde from the First Presbyterian Russell Sage Memorial Church in Far Rockaway, Rev. Mark Lukens, pastor of Bethany Congregational UCC in East Rockaway and Robert Socoloff, director of the Long Island region’s American Jewish Committee are also among the people representing house of worship or organizations.

“This year as we mark the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Holocaust and see the rise of anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia at home and around the world, we need to stand together to combat the virulent virus of hatred,” Rosenbaum state in the release.

The program will also include a cantorial music tribute to the legacy of King and in memory of the six million Jewish people who were killed in the Holocaust lead by Temple of Israel Cantor Galina Makaveyev and Cantor Philip Sherman of the Spanish Portuguese Synagogue in Manhattan.
Temple Israel of Lawrence is at 140 Central Ave. in Lawrence.