Holocaust Remembrance
Memphis Jewish Federation is dedicated to Holocaust remembrance through an annual community-wide commemoration, Holocaust Art & Essay Contest, education, providing speakers to schools and community groups, and outreach to current and future generations to aid in the fight against antisemitism, hatred and bigotry.
Holocaust Art & Essay Contest 2023
Memphis Jewish Federation sponsors an annual Holocaust Art and Essay contest for students in grades 6-12. A contest theme is announced in November and entries are due in early Spring. All TN and Mid-South students in grades 6-8 are invited to submit artwork based on the contest theme and students in grades 9-12 are invited to submit an essay. Contest winners receive cash prizes and recognition by Federation at the annual Holocaust Memorial Commemoration. Contest guidelines will be posted at jcpmemphis.org/holocaustartandessay.
Read the winning 2023 essay here
Never Forget Memorial Fund
Memphis Jewish Federation's Never Forget Memorial Fund is now accepting gifts in memory of the six million Jews who parished in the Holocaust. Gifts may be made in memory or honor of a loved one. Dollars raised from the fund will support the annual Yom HaShoah program, Holocaust awareness and education, and incentives to combat hatred and anti-Semitism.
Nina Katz and Memphis Holocaust Survivors Legacy Sculpture
A passionate advocate of and tireless activist for Holocaust awareness both in Memphis and beyond, Holocaust survivor Nina Katz devoted many years to speaking about her personal experience and the Holocaust in general to diverse audiences across the racial, religious and demographic spectrums. After her death, the Holocaust Memorial Committee of Memphis Jewish Federation decided that it wanted to do something that would memorialize Nina and, at the same time, honor all Memphis Holocaust survivors.
Under the leadership of Marty Kelman and Rachel Shankman, a subcommittee was formed to research an appropriate memorial and to gather the names and countries of origin of all known Memphis Holocaust survivors. After months of work, the subcommittee commissioned Memphis-area artist Brian Russell to create a glass sculpture with the names and origin countries of all Memphis survivors etched into the glass. A quote from Nina is etched in as well.
The sculpture, and accompanying donor recognition plaque, are on display in the lobby of the Memphis Jewish Community Center, near the Holocaust Torah scroll and Yom HaShoah candelabra.
For more information, contact Bluma Zuckerbrot-Finkelstein at bzuckerbrot-finkelstein@jcpmemphis.org or (901) 767-7100.
Lives Restarted Trailer
Lives Restarted is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime. Learn more about this powerful film and watch it here.