Bette Zaret, Holocaust Education Initiative
As she nears 99 years old, local Holocaust Survivor Helga Melmed continues to ensure that the lessons of history are neither forgotten nor ignored. Last month, Helga was invited by the city of Hamburg, Germany to address the Hamburg Parliament, sharing her extraordinary story of survival, resilience, and moral courage with political leaders and citizens in the very country where the Holocaust was conceived. Her powerful testimony stands not only as a reminder of unimaginable loss, but also as a call to conscience for future generations.
Her appearance before the Parliament reflects something we witness every day within our own community: Holocaust Survivors are not simply witnesses to history; they are teachers of humanity.
At The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, we are deeply committed to honoring, supporting, and amplifying the voices of our Holocaust Survivors and GenerationsAfter descendants of Survivors. Through socialization programs, educational initiatives, and intergenerational dialogue, we strive to ensure that Survivors remain connected, celebrated, and heard. One most recent event took place on June 4th Holocaust Survivor Day Luncheon, a day dedicated to remembrance, community, and gratitude.
Education remains at the heart of this mission. Since 2014, more than 20,000 students throughout our region have heard a Holocaust Survivor share their firsthand testimony through our Survivor Speakers Bureau, transforming history from something distant in textbooks into something profoundly human, personal, and immediate.
We also continue to create innovative programs that connect generations and communities in meaningful ways. Through initiatives like the Journalism Project, local students interview Survivors and write articles preserving their stories for future generations. In our groundbreaking Impact Theatre program, African American students interview Holocaust Survivors while Jewish students interview African American elders who lived through Jim Crow segregation. Together, these young people transform those conversations into artistic performances that explore memory, prejudice, resilience, and shared humanity.
Even cultural experiences become opportunities for reflection and connection. Recently, the Federation hosted 100 Holocaust Survivors, many originally from the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, for a special performance of Fiddler on the Roof at Asolo Repertory Theatre. For many attendees, the themes of displacement, tradition, persecution, and perseverance resonated not as distant history, but as lived experience.
As Helga Melmed’s voice echoes from Sarasota to the Hamburg Parliament, we are reminded that every Survivor story entrusted to us carries both memory and responsibility. Their testimonies are among the most powerful tools we possess to combat hatred, antisemitism, racism, and indifference. And it is our collective obligation to ensure those voices continue to be heard.