Saturday, November 14, 2026
Temple Israel of Lawrence commemorated the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht with a special Shabbat service on Nov. 6, welcoming Holocaust survivor Livia Horovitz, who shared memories of surviving Nazi persecution as a young child and building a life after the war.
Horovitz, a Bellmore resident who grew up in Hungary, was nearly 6 years old when she and her family were forced into a ghetto and later deported to the Mauthausen concentration camp. Her testimony gave congregants an opportunity to hear firsthand from someone who experienced the Holocaust and to reflect on the importance of preserving survivors' stories.
Rabbi Galina Makaveyev led the service, which commemorated Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, when Nazi-led violence against Jewish communities swept across Germany and Austria on Nov. 9 and 10, 1938. The attacks marked a turning point in the persecution of European Jews and foreshadowed the systematic genocide that followed.
In her remarks, Makaveyev called on the congregation to remember those who perished and recognize its responsibility to stand against hatred, discrimination and injustice.
“We must continue to remember, to bear witness and to stand against hatred and discrimination,” Makaveyev said.
In a prayer during the service, she envisioned a world in which “pain is transformed into healing, division into unity,” and asked that the community's memories and actions help lead toward peace, harmony and dignity for all.
The congregation also participated in a candle-lighting ceremony, with six memorial candles representing the approximately 6 million Jews murdered during the Holocaust.
“May each flame inspire us to honor their memory, cherish their lives and embrace our responsibility to care for our fellow human beings,” Makaveyev said in her message.
The evening's central moment came when Horovitz addressed the congregation, recounting fragments of her childhood and the circumstances that led her family to a concentration camp.
“I was 6 years old when I was first taken to the camp,” Livia said. “It was cold, dark. There were fences with barbed wire.”
She recalled being taken from her home with her family and transported by train. Upon arriving at the camp, she and other prisoners were stripped of their belongings and clothing, leaving them without even the basic necessities of daily life.
Horovitz described the fear and confusion of being a young child in the camp, where food was scarce and survival was uncertain. At an age when most children are protected by their families and focused on ordinary childhood activities, she was forced to confront conditions no child should experience.
Although the details of her childhood remained painful, Horovitz's account also turned toward the life she built after surviving the Holocaust. She spoke about finding love, marrying and creating a family, describing the happiness she eventually found despite the tragedies of her early years.
The service offered congregants an opportunity not only to honor the millions who were murdered, but also to recognize the survivors whose experiences provide a living connection to history.
“We gather not only to remember the past, but to embrace our responsibility for the future,” Makaveyev said.
As the number of Holocaust survivors continues to decline, the opportunity to hear their stories firsthand has become increasingly important. Horovitz's appearance reinforced the congregation's commitment to remembrance and to teaching future generations about the consequences of intolerance.
“I had a beautiful life. I found somebody who I love, and I had a family, and I'm so happy,” Horovitz said.
