Yorktown Holocaust Remembrance is May 8
April 25, 2024 – The Town of Yorktown will commemorate the victims and survivors of one of history's darkest periods at its annual Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony on May 8.
The guest speaker for this year's ceremony is Anna Leiser-Kleinhaus, a Holocaust survivor born in 1936 in Antwerp, Belgium. Leiser-Kleinhaus will share memories of her childhood before and during the war, offering a firsthand account of the atrocities faced by Jewish communities during World War II.
“This ceremony teaches us that remembrance and education are the building blocks for creating a culture of tolerance and compassion in our society,” said Yorktown Supervisor Ed Lachterman. “Yorktown’s Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony will occur as we prepare for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the beginning of France’s liberation with the Allies’ Normandy landings on June 6, 1944. We are eternally grateful to our veterans for their sacrifices on Normandy’s beaches.”
Leiser-Kleinhaus’ talk will include recollections of the strict Jewish community where she grew up, and the antisemitism she experienced preceding the German invasion. She will recount the hardships of wearing the Jewish star, her father and neighbor's internment in a Nazi work camp, and her subsequent life in hiding in a Catholic children's home in Nice, France.
Her story highlights the resilience and courage displayed in the face of adversity, including the challenges of surviving on limited resources, adopting a false identity, and navigating the complexities of post-liberation Europe.
The Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony is on May 8 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 363 Underhill Ave., Yorktown Heights.
