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The American Society for Yad Vashem
25 Years of Dedication to Holocaust Remembrance

► American Society for Yad Vashem Benefactors
►The American Society Marks 25 Years

In 1981, Eli Zborowski convened a group of Holocaust survivors committed to the cause of Shoah remembrance to form what is now the American Society for Yad Vashem. Throughout its illustrious 25-year history, the American Society has worked in close partnership with Yad Vashem in Jerusalem in education, commemoration, documentation, special projects and the Yad Vashem Multiyear Development Plan.

Today, the American Society for Yad Vashem Society boasts more than 40,000 members throughout the United States, all committed to the cause of Holocaust remembrance. The Society’s Officers, Executive Board and Board of Governors constitute over one hundred members who oversee its policies and programs, including outreach, education and fund raising. The Society is also a leader in disseminating current news and features on all aspects of the Holocaust and resistance with the publication of Martyrdom & Resistance—the first and oldest continuous periodical devoted to the Holocaust. Thanks to these efforts, thousands of people around the country have access to accurate Holocaust information.

Chairman Eli Zborowski, honored at this year’s American Society Tribute Dinner with a lifetime achievement award, has led the Society in its partnership with Yad Vashem. In 1977, Eli met with Dr. Yitzhak Arad, then-Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate to discuss the need to memorialize all of the European Jewish communities destroyed during the Holocaust, a discussion that led to the establishment of Yad Vashem’s Valley of the Communities (dedicated in 1992). Among the other special projects, initiated and funded by the American Society are the Memorial to the Jewish Soldiers (dedicated in 1985 to the memory of the Jewish soldiers, partisans and ghetto fighters) and the Children’s Memorial (dedicated in 1987 to the memory of the 1.5 million children killed during the Shoah). The American Society has also been one of the main supporters of the Yad Vashem Multiyear Development plan, launched in 1993 with the aim of expanding its educational programs, computerizing Yad Vashem’s repositories, building a new Museum Complex, and promoting new research and documentation initiatives. Towards this end, Campaign Chairman Joseph Wilf led the Society’s contribution to the construction of the International School for Holocaust Studies, Holocaust History Museum, Museum of Holocaust Art, Exhibitions Center, Synagogue, Learning Center, Visual Center, and more. 

For almost a decade, the American Society has turned its attention to the third generation, grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, in the knowledge that the legacy of Holocaust remembrance and education must be passed on to future generations. The Young Leadership Associates (YLA)—a group of people in their 20s and 30s—is chaired today by Caroline Massel, and co-chaired by Elie Singer. Their enthusiasm is fueled by the more than 500 devoted and talented members of the YLA who are actively involved in endeavors ranging from seminars for teachers to the development of Holocaust education legislation.

Over the next few years, the responsibility for leading the American Society will be transferred to the second generation, the children of the Society’s founders. Their profound commitment and dedication to the American Society and to Yad Vashem will help ensure that the Society will continue its essential work well into the 21st century.