FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 18, 2021 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 51
Victoria’s
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Victoria
SCHNEPSYUNIS
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I was spellbound hearing
speakers on the 83rd anniversary
of Kristallnacht in
Th e Hampton Synagogue.
Under the brilliant and charismatic
leadership of Rabbi
Marc Schneier, the congregation
heard from world leaders
David Gill, the Consul General
of Germany in New York
City, and Dani Dayan, former
Consul General of Israel and
now chairman of Jersualem’s
Yad Vashem.
Th ey each spoke boldly about
the cursed night in 1938 in
Austria and Germany when
Nazis came through Jewish
towns and smashed thousands
of their windows, destroyed
their businesses, synagogues and
homes and sent thousands of
people to concentration camps.
It was the beginning of what
Kristallnacht remembered
was one of the deadliest, ugliest
times in our world’s history: the
Holocaust.
Both men spoke compellingly
to the congregation about the
need to never forget the acts of
cruelty committed to each of the
6 million young and old murdered
during the Holocaust.
I was so moved by how their
words created an image of a little
girl being squeezed into her
synagogue with all her family
and community and then burnt
to death by the Nazis in their
holy place of prayer. It was heartbreaking
to hear.
I agreed wholeheartedly when
the speakers reminded us that
each of those 6 million people
lost were people whose life stories
must be told!
I thought about having our
newspapers run a series of stories
about those lost. We must
be remembering on many levels.
By telling their stories, their lives
will live on as we work to ensure
that a similar tragedy will never
happen again.
Th e members of the congregation
gave a standing ovation
to Dayan as his voice rang out,
urging us all to never forget
the lives lost as a result of the
Holocaust.
Both foreign leaders emphasized
the importance of attacking
anti-Semitism whenever and
wherever it occurs, without condition!
Dayan reminded us that in the
1930s, people didn’t understand
or believe anti-Semitism could
go to such monstrous dimensions.
But today, we know just
how bad things can get. And
as Dayan said, “We must fi ght
against trivialization of the
Holocaust” and never allow it to
happen again.
Nothing was more moving to
me when I visited Yad Vashem,
the memorial to the Holocaust
in Jersualem. Tears rolled down
my eyes as I heard the names of
those lost called out one by one
— 6 million souls stolen away
by hatred. Th ey must be remembered.
Rabbi Marc Schneier
and his wife Simi with
Dani Dayan.
A week of happenings Newest
Chris Ward,
Bravo’s
Executive Vice
President
of Business
Development.
A busy week included attending Th e 81st Dinner Dance to support
the New York City Post SAME Scholarship Fund, Inc.
n a sunny Sunday,
Th e gala was held at Casa Cipriani, a group off ering six-star
Ohospitality. Th is location is in the brilliantly restored Battery Park
Marine Terminal sitting on the East River. Bravo COO Joseph Falbo
with CEO Ehab Shehata
and his wife Nermin.
USMA West Point’s Emma San
Martin receives her award.
sculpture
I found my way to
the 8-acre sculpture
farm/home of my friend,
world renowned sculptor
Hans Van de Bovenkamp.
He kindly lent the town
of Westhampton four of
his famous award-winning
masterpieces. But they are
all for sale and hopefully
they fi nd a permanent
home!
Hans with his
With Tom
Prendergast
Gen. Matthew Luzzatto and Gen. John Boule newest sculpture.
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