The American Society for Yad Vashem

Left to right- Eli Zborowski describes the progress of the Visitors' Center to brothers Arie and Sam Halpern during a recent visit to Yad Vashem..

Twenty years have passed since a few Holocaust survivors, led by Eli Zborowski, gathered to form what is now the American Society for Yad Vashem. Today the Society boasts more than 40,000 members throughout the United States, all committed to the cause of Holocaust remembrance. Over the years, the American Society has worked in partnership with Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority in Jerusalem, aiding in education, commemoration, research, capital improvement, and special projects.

In the early years following the American Society’s establishment, when Holocaust discussions still made Americans uncomfortable, survivors used the American Society as a venue by which they could exchange personal stories and acculturation experiences with those in similar circumstances. The group soon began hosting fundraising parlor meetings in their homes in support of Yad Vashem.

In 1977, Eli Zborowski met with former Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate, Dr.Yitzhak Arad, to discuss the need to memorialize all Jewish communities destroyed during the Holocaust—a discussion which led to the establishment of the Yad Vashem’s Valley of the Communities. Dedicated in 1992, and largely enabled by American Society funding, the Valley of the Communities commemorates over 5,000 Jewish communities that came under Nazi occupation during the Holocaust. In the center of the Valley of the Communities is Beit Hakehilot, a site providing information about the inhabitants of the communities and pre-war Jewish religious and cultural life.

As the Society reflects on its accomplishments since its inception, certain key moments stand out. The first project completed by the American Society was the Memorial to the Jewish Soldiers, which was dedicated in 1983 as the sole tribute to the Jewish soldiers, ghetto-fighters, and partisans who fought in WWII. Spearheaded by Frank Blaichman and Eli Zborowski, the project was chaired by Jack Pomeranc and Sam Skura. The memorial was dedicated with an address by Isidore Karten (z’’l) on behalf of the partisans.

Eli Zborowski, Mark Palmer, Ira Drukier, and Joe Wilf tour the construction site of the Visitors' Center which is scheduled to open by the end of 2001.

Left to right- Eli Zborowski, Mark Palmer, Ira Drukier, and Joe Wilf tour the construction site of the Visitors' Center during a recent visit to Yad Vashem.

In 1987, the Children’s Memorial, dedicated to the memory of the 1.5 million children killed in the Holocaust, was inaugurated at Yad Vashem. The Children’s Memorial was constructed largely as a result of a major contribution, as well as much dedication and drive from Abraham and Edita Spiegel (z’’l) and the support of their friends. This project which held an additional personal factor for the Spiegels, whose son, Uziel, perished at Auschwitz, has provided visitors from around the world with an unforgettable experience.

The American Society’s impressive achievements are demonstrated at its Annual Tribute Dinners, attracting over 1,000 guests annually, including survivors and their families, as well as leading figures in business, Jewish communal service, government, and members of the diplomatic corps. Dinner speakers have included Jewish communal leaders and an international cadre of personalities. In conjunction with the Tribute Dinners, the Society publishes an annual commemorative journal, illustrating the transcendence of the Holocaust through the generations.

The American Society for Yad Vashem has been a leader in current news and features on all aspects of the Holocaust and resistance with the dissemination of Martyrdom & Resistance—the first and oldest continuous periodical devoted to the Holocaust.

The “Yad Vashem 2001” masterplan—Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate, Avner Shalev’s vision—was launched in 1993, with the aims of developing new, modernized educational conceptions, computerizing Yad Vashem’s repositories, building a new Museum Complex, and promoting new research and documentation initiatives. Since 1994, with Joseph Wilf as the Campaign Chairman of the “Yad Vashem 2001” masterplan, the American Society has pledged its continued support in the project’s actualization. To date it has contributed to the construction of the new Historical Museum, the International School for Holocaust Studies, the new Learning Center, the new Visual Center, and more.

Today, the Society’s Officers, Executive Board and Board of Governors includes over 100 members who oversee its policies and programs, including outreach and educational programs. Thanks to these efforts, thousands of people around the country have access to accurate Holocaust information.

The American Society applauds its Young Leadership Associates (YLA)—a group of people in their 20s and 30s, which in 1997 began developing an ongoing program to promote Holocaust education. The YLA is chaired by Caroline Massel, and co-chaired by Elie Singer. Massel, whose grandparents were Holocaust survivors, notes that: “in becoming involved with the YLA, I wanted people my age to know how the victims of the Shoah lived, how they died, and about their eternal dream for the continuation of the Jewish spirit. I hoped that the legacy of the Holocaust would provide the world with an object lesson for the future. Today, my enthusiasm is fueled by the more than 500 devoted and talented members of the YLA who have dedicated themselves to Holocaust remembrance and education.”

Reflecting on the group’s growth, Elie Singer says: “The initiative has expanded beyond our expectations. Our small group has swelled in numbers and we are now actively involved in endeavors ranging from seminars for teachers to the development of Holocaust education legislation.”

Today, the Society’s Officers, Executive Board and Board of Governors constitutes over 100 members who oversee its policies and programs, including outreach and educational programs. Thanks to these efforts, thousands of people around the country have access to accurate Holocaust information.

As the American Society marks its 20th Anniversary milestone, it proudly reaffirms its commitment to Yad Vashem. In the words of its Chairman, Eli Zborowski:

We are accustomed to thinking that memory fades slowly over time, in linear fashion. But, with Holocaust remembrance, I see just the opposite. The grandchildren of the survivors are even more active than their parents. For children of survivors, it is difficult to imagine their parents as powerless. The third generation, however, has had the advantage of knowing their grandparents, of hearing the stories, and yet of having enough emotional distance to encounter the issue without reservation. This is what gives me confidence about the future of Yad Vashem and of Holocaust remembrance.