Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

The Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation (SOJC) will honor the lives and memories of victims and survivors of the Holocaust at a Yom Hashoah commemoration open to the public on Sunday, April 27, at 11 a.m. at SOJC, 11200 South Apopka Vineland Road, Orlando, FL 32836.

As part of the commemoration, Holocaust survivor Herman Gluck, 88, will be interviewed. Gluck is one of the 40 survivors featured in the Holocaust Memorial at Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation displayed in the synagogue's lobby. The Memorial is an Eagle Scout Project by Max Waldor that was chosen as Boy Scouts of America's Central Florida Council's Grove Adam's Award. Mr. Gluck's story can be found on the website: http://www.sojc.org/HolocaustMemorial/stories/Herman_Gluck.

Following, the recent Academy Award winner for Short Film Documentary, "The Lady in Room 6: Music Saved my Life," will be shown. The film documents Alice Herz-Sommer, at age 109, the oldest pianist and Holocaust survivor who displays how her love of music saved her during the two years she spent in Terezin.

Alice Herz-Sommer

"I have lived through many wars and have lost everything many times- including my husband, my mother and my beloved son. Yet, life is beautiful, and I have so much to learn and enjoy. I have no space nor time for pessimism and hate," she said in an interview.

Herz-Sommer passed away at the age of 110 on Feb. 23, just before the awards ceremony.

"We the Jewish people have the responsibility to keep alive the memories of all those lost during the Holocaust. Our annual commemoration of Yom Hashoah is an incredibly important and powerful experience," said Rabbi Hillel Skolnik, spiritual leader of SOJC, who along with Cantor Doug Ramsay will conduct a memorial service that will conclude the commemoration.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend. For more information visit http://www.sojc.org or call 407-239-5444.