Thursday, October 1, 2026
Eighth-graders at Brandeis Hebrew Academy in Lawrence brought history to life with haunting clarity last week, transforming their annual Yom HaShoah program into a powerful tribute to the lives lost and the responsibility of the next generation to remember.
Observed each year as Israel’s day of Holocaust remembrance, Yom HaShoah commemorates the 6 million Jews systematically murdered by the Nazis during World War II, while also honoring the survivors who rebuilt their lives in the aftermath. At Brandeis, that dual message of mourning and continuity was woven throughout the April 13 program.
This year’s student-led event centered on a powerful question: What would you take if you had only minutes to leave your home forever?
Through emotional monologues, students imagined themselves as being forced to flee with only a single suitcase. One spoke of bringing a violin, another a red coat, while others clutched symbolic items: a pair of shoes, a ring, a teddy bear, and a book of poems, each representing identity, memory, love and hope in the face of unimaginable loss.
“These objects remind us of what was taken,” Brandeis student Olivia Golovanov said during the program. “Homes were taken, families were taken, and childhoods were taken. Entire communities were taken. But something more powerful remained, faith remained, hope remained, the strength of our people remained.”
Fellow student Sara Davis framed the evening with a call to collective responsibility.
“Today, we honor not only how they died, but how they lived,” she said. “The families they built, the traditions they cherished, and the futures that were stolen. This is our responsibility. This is our obligation.”
The ceremony also featured remarks from community leaders, including Village of Lawrence Mayor Samuel Nahmias and Michael Cohen from the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation, in New York City, who underscored the importance of Holocaust education at a time of rising antisemitism.
“It’s good to be here to see and hear how serious Brandeis takes the mission of educating students about the Holocaust,” Cohen said. “They take the opportunity to stress ‘never forget’ and instill it in our next generations.”
But for many in attendance, the most powerful moments came from 94-year-old Holocaust survivor Rachel Malmed Epstein, whose life story offered a living bridge between past and present and a deeper understanding of both loss and resilience.
Born in 1932 in Saint-Quentin, France, Epstein spent her early childhood in the historic French commune of Compiègne before her life was upended by the Holocaust. After her parents were deported and murdered in Auschwitz, she and her younger brother, Leon, were forced into hiding.
They were taken in by neighbors, Henri and Suzanne Ribouleau, who risked their lives to protect the children, an act that would later earn them recognition as Righteous Among the Nations.
Epstein reflected on the complexity of those years, recalling that she and her brother lived outwardly normal lives while in hiding, even attending school, all while carrying the constant danger of discovery. At war’s end, they were the only surviving Jewish children from their city and faced yet another upheaval when relatives reclaimed them, leading to a difficult transition away from the only sense of stability they had known.
“We survived because someone chose courage over fear,” Epstein said. “That is what I want you to remember. That even in the darkest times, people can choose to do what is right.”
In 1950, at just 17 years old, Epstein immigrated to the United States aboard the Queen Mary, beginning a new chapter. She soon met her husband, Isidore, and the two built a life together spanning more than seven decades, raising daughters Anita and Helen and establishing a family rooted in perseverance, memory and Jewish identity.
“Every time I tell my story, I am trusting you to carry it forward,” Epstein said in addressing the Brandeis students. “Soon, there will be no one left who lived it. You will be the witnesses.”
She also emphasized a message that has guided her lifelong testimony: “Out of the terror of World War II came the goodness of righteous gentiles who saved thousands.”
The evening concluded with a message of hope that echoed across generations — that despite the devastation, the Jewish people endure.
“This is our responsibility,” Davis added. “This is our obligation. Tonight, we stand together in memory, in mourning, and in commitment. We remember.”
“We remember. We honor those who were lost. We carry their stories forward. And most importantly, we are still here.”
