On Sunday, April 16, the Jewish Community Center and Federation of Augusta will partner with the Augusta Jewish Museum to sponsor an annual Holocaust Remembrance program starting at 3:30 p.m.
This year’s event will include a concert featuring “Music of Resistance and Survival,” and will take place at Adas Yeshurun Synagogue, located at 935 Johns Road in Augusta. The concert and music commentary will be directed by Dr. Laurence Sherr, who is the composer-in-residence and a professor of music at Kennesaw State University.
“It’s a way to remember the Holocaust and not only what it meant to the Jewish community, but also all the other communities that were impacted by the genocide,” said Executive Director of the Jewish Community Center and Federation of Augusta Nicky Spivak. “So when people think of the Holocaust, they think of the death of six million, but there were also five million others as well … different communities were impacted.”
Combining his work as a composer, researcher, lecturer, author and educator, Sherr is widely recognized for his involvement in efforts and music related to the Holocaust. In addition to an Atlanta Symphony Orchestra cello player Karen Freed, Sherr will be accompanied on guitar and vocals by Rabbi David Sirull, who is the spiritual leader of the Adas Yeshurun Synagogue. Robert Henry, a solo pianist who performs around the globe and is the Artistic Director of the Grammy–winning Atlanta Boy Choir, will be playing the piano for the show.
“When it comes to the Holocaust, people usually just think of what transpired in the camps, and there’s certainly stories of non-Jews helping people from the Jewish community survive,” said Spivak. “But there were also people who did escape and created these communities that fought … so the music that was created was special.”
As a music layman, Spivak said he would compare Resistance music to ballads and songs from the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
“I don’t know if it’s a fair comparison, but it was folk music, and people playing with whatever instruments they had or could make while living a hard life,” he said.
Prior to a merger in 2022, the Augusta Jewish Community Center and the Augusta Jewish Federation had each served the CSRA community for generations. After the two united, the integrated organization has made it their mission to “chronicle the life, history and contributions of the Jewish community in the CSRA.” The museum also prides itself on educating Jewish people about their traditions, holidays and remembering the Holocaust’s significance throughout history.
“If we don’t remember, we’re likely to be impacted by the same thing again,” said Spivak. “Hopefully. [the concert] becomes more of a community-wide event, and not just a Jewish community one.”
Referring to a Martin Niemoller quote, who was a prominent Lutheran pastor in Germany who sympathized with the Jews, Spivak said it was important for people from different walks of life to learn how to support and defend each other.
“It’s not word for word, but I think it goes something like, ‘they came for the Lutherans and people didn’t stand up or speak out against it. Then they came for the Blacks and people didn’t stand up and speak against it; then they came for me, and there was no one else to stand up and speak against it,’” said Spivak. “So it’s important that we have the opportunity to come together as a community, and speak out against hatred – to remember that hatred against one person is really hatred against everyone.”
Spivak said that, should something terrible threaten a group of people again like the Holocaust, he would expect people from various religions and backgrounds to unite against said threat.
“This concert is a good way for the community to practice that while remembering what transpired,” he said.
To find out more about the museum or to enjoy a virtual version of it, visit: www.augustajewishmuseum.org/virtual-museum
