Dozens of Holocaust survivors gathered at the Jewish Family Service’s Gunther-Hirsh Community Center to observe Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, at Café Europa, a weekly social gathering where survivors bond over music, food, and friendship.
To honor the memory of the Café Europa attendees who passed away this year, Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz from Valley Beth Shalom gave a tribute and led the Jewish prayer V’hi Noam. Participants enjoyed live music, lit memorial candles and shared photographs of those who passed.
“The courage, compassion and foresight that this generation exercised stands as an example for everything we need to embody today,” Rabbi Lebovitz said. “Their story is not a story that belongs behind glass in a museum. Their story belongs in the living, breathing world as a testimony to strength and resilience.”
Jewish Family Service LA, the city’s oldest social service agency, plays a crucial role in ensuring that Holocaust survivors live with dignity, support and a sense of community. Year-round, JFSLA provides compassionate care to over 1,200 Holocaust survivors in the Los Angeles area. In addition to Café Europa, JFSLA offers comprehensive programming and support to survivors of the Holocaust, including case management and emergency financial assistance and other social services.
“Café Europa is more than just a social activity. For many survivors, it’s a lifeline of memory and community,” said Susan Belgrade, senior director of Multipurpose and Senior Centers at JFSLA, who runs Café Europa. “On Yom HaShoah, we gather to honor the past, and to support and ensure survivors are seen, valued and cared for in the present.”
JFSLA helps survivors with caregiver assistance, social worker support and emergency financial needs. Approximately 80% of the Holocaust survivors that JFSLA serves are low-income and rely on Medi-Cal. Programs like Café Europa combat isolation, poverty and the challenges of aging by fostering belonging and community.
