Yom HaShoah



Cypress College’s Annual Yom HaShoah Holocaust Day of Remembrance


They were taken away from their homes, kept behind metal bars and wire fences like criminals—animals. Millions were murdered. Millions more were displaced, left without a home, without family, without much hope. But they survived.

On Yom HaShoah, and every other day of the year, we: remember those who lost their lives in the Holocaust—condemned simply because of their religion; continue to learn from those who survived; and honor those who risked their lives, livelihoods, and families to aid the Jewish people. They show us the resilience of the human spirit; that inclusiveness and diversity are a strength and necessary priority; that there is always still hope for humanity; that in the end, we are all the same.

With these themes of survival, gratitude, hope, and inclusiveness, Cypress College holds a Yom HaShoah Day of Remembrance event each year in April, with the first one being held in 2016.

  • Cliff Lester interviewing Lou Fogelman, Harry Davids, and Irene Perbal on stage.
  • A standing group photo of all the interviewees and Cliff Lester.
  • Clifford Lester is joined by Lou Fogelman on stage as they pay tribute to Lou’s “Aunt Betty.”
  • Harry Lester happily greets students from local schools
  • Holocaust Survivor Gerda Seifer shares her testimony with very interested students.
  • Clifford Lester joins Holocaust Survivor Dr. Edgar Moran in lighting memorial candles for the victims of the Holocaust.
  • Attendees gather in the theater for the annual Yom HaShoah event
  • 101-year-old Survivor Dr. Jacob Eisenbach greets Yom HaShoah attendees
  • Cypress College President Emeritus Dr. JoAnna Schilling greats 103-year-old Survivor, Marthe Cohn.
  • 102-year-old Survivor Desiree Engel meets with interested students to hear her testimony.
  • Survivor Joe Alexander shares the tattoo he got on his arm when he was in Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Students listen intently.
  • Survivor Sarah Schweitz shares with engaged students and community members.
  • Clifford interviews Holocaust Survivors Eddy Hoffman and his wife Eveline.

Holocaust Education Program Partners

Thank you to our Holocaust Education Program partners Jewish Long Beach and SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union.

Logo for Jewish Long Beach
Logo for Schools First Credit Union

Holocaust Survivors, photographed by Cliff Lester