Worshipers held a memorial Thursday in Evans to remember the six million Jews killed by the Nazis in World War II.
The event was one of countless ceremonies worldwide in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The 50 people who quietly filled into the former Augusta Jewish Community Center building in Evans lit candles, sang songs and listened to a string quartet and the stories George David, who told how his grandparents escaped Berlin by fleeing to Shanghai, China.
“If it could happen in Germany, it could happen here,” said David, a radiologist who made his home in Augusta for 40 years before recently moving to Columbia, S.C.
MORE: Coach and wife grateful for ‘family’ support following accident
The rabbi who led the group in prayers had this admonishment for how he hears people today describing the attempted genocide of the Jewish people:
“They didn’t die. They were murdered,” said Rabbi Shai Beloosesky.
The ceremony began with naming a few of those who were murdered, the date of their birth, the place of birth, the date of death and place of death.
Judi Giri, who organized the ceremony, said she was honored to see children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of those who survived the Holocaust.
“Look at us. The Nazis’ final solution did not work,” Giri said. “I hope they will continue to the next generation to carry on the memory. And to remember what hate will do.”
A sergeant from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Department stood guard in the lobby of the building. His presence was a reminder that to this day Jews are still targeted by those who hate.
Joshua B. Good is a staff reporter covering Columbia County and military/veterans’ issues for The Augusta Press. Reach him at joshua@theaugustapress.com
