COOPER CITY, FLA. (WSVN) - Over 100 Holocaust survivors gathered in Cooper City to commemorate Holocaust Survivor Day.
The gathering was held at the Temple Beth Emet on South Flamingo Road, Wednesday, where the group paid tribute to the resilience of the last living witnesses of the Holocaust.
“It’s really about connecting them to each other. Some of them have found people they haven’t seen in 40 years. They may have been in the camps together,” said Goodman Jewish Family Services CEO/President Randy Colman. “There’s a common bond between all of them and it’s what they persevered and what they went through.”
The gathering comes amid a rise in antisemitism across the United States. Many people in Cooper City told 7News the recent wave of attacks in Washington D.C. and Boulder, Colorado have caused immense fear among the Jewish community.
Susanna Moore, a survivor, said she never thought she’d see such hate again in her lifetime.
“Very, very emotional occasion. I never expected it. I never thought that I’m going to live through what’s happening today,” she said.
Moore suffered through the Holocaust when she was 6 years old. Decades later, she’s moved to tears over current events.
“It brings back a lot of memories. I am so afraid for my grandkids and my great-grandkids,” she said.
Those memories were evoked by this past weekend’s terror attack in Boulder when 12 people were injured after an Egyptian national threw a Molotov cocktail at a crowd that was marching to raise awareness to the hostages still being held by Hamas.
“I can’t imagine what this hatred is all about,” said Moore.
The attack in Boulder is the latest in a string of anti-Jewish incidents. A few weeks ago, a couple was shot to death outside of the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington D.C.. The two victims were Israeli embassy staffers.
A month before that, in April, an arsonist set fire to the mansion of Pennsylvania’s Governor Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish, on the first night of Passover.
Officials said the suspect behind the arson attack was critical of Shapiro’s view toward the war in Gaza.
Survivors in Cooper City said they are devastated by these continuous attacks on their community.
“It’s just…I was surprised that it would come to this level. It’s very…terrible,” said Raisa Kabelsky.
“It’s in the blood of people. It’s so difficult to get rid of. It’s terrible,” said another survivor.
Despite the horrifying attacks, 100-year-old Herman Haller, who survived Auschwitz, said he hopes that by sharing his stories, he’ll inspire more people to love, rather than to hate.
“I remember saying someone has to survive to tell the people on the outside what is happening here,” he said as he showed his prisoner number that was tattooed when he entered the concentration camp. “This is my evidence.”
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