As we approach Yom Kippur, we reflect on the difficult year we leave behind, with the unspeakable events of last October 7, and we pray for a 5785 that will see the return of the hostages and a route to peace and a more secure future. We hope that Gen After can continue to provide the sense of community that we need to face these challenging times.

Please remember that our Annual Membership Campaign is still in progress. You may visit our new website, genafterdc.org, to join or renew your membership. On the site, you can find information on our upcoming programs, our ongoing groups, and our latest newsletter. You can also check the status of your membership.

Chag sameach!

Shelli Klein,

President

Olimpia Nowicka-Sulla,

Vice-President

UPDATE: 2024 Gen After Membership Campaign!

Thank you for your membership!

Thank you to the many new and renewing members who have already renewed for the Fall 2024–Fall 2025 year! If you haven't yet, please log in to our membership portal with your email address to view your membership expiration date or join now. If you are logging into your account for the first time, you must request a password reset.

UPCOMING: Speakers' Bureau Workshops, October – December, 2024

Working with Teach the Shoah, Gen After will offer a special training program for our members, titled "Re-Crafting Your Family Story." View the details and register. This training is designed for individuals who have spoken publicly but have not taken either the Teach the Shoah introductory or Maggid trainings. It will also be beneficial to trained speakers. Classes will be held online on seven consecutive Tuesday mornings, beginning October 22, from 10:00 AM–noon. A final presentation session will be held in December on a date to be determined, potentially in person. A $250 donation is recommended.

JCRC is also offering its virtual Maggid training for 2Gs beginning on Wednesday, November 6, from 7:00–9:00 PM ET, and continuing on November 13, 20 and December 4. The final session will be in person on Sunday, December 15, 10:00 AM–1:00 PM. A donation of $180 is requested. Participants must be able to attend ALL sessions. Apply to participate.

To refer organizations looking for a speaker,

please send them the Request a Speaker link.

UPCOMING: Book Group, October 27, 2024, 10:30 AM ET

If you missed the movie and the discussion with author Dan Gordon in July, don't miss our group's Zoom discussion of the book, Irena's Vow. Find out why many people believe that the book is better than the movie. Learn more details about the remarkable true story of Irena Gut Opdyke, a righteous Gentile who saved the lives of twelve Jews.

PLEASE NOTE THE EARLIER 10:30 AM START TIME!

Generations After members can sign up or contact the Book Group for additional details at 2ndgenbookgroup@gmail.com. Not a current Gen After member? Join or renew.

PART 2: Conversation Between American and Israeli 2Gs

How October 7th Has Changed How We Tell Our Families' Stories

November 10, 2024, 12:00 PM ET, 7:00 PM Israel Time

We continue our important discussion between 2Gs in the U.S. and Israel. Join Generations After and Dorot HaHemshech, Israel's largest Holocaust descendant organization, to discuss the central question of how October 7th has impacted our attitude about telling our families' Holocaust stories. Join us whether you have been telling your story or not. Because we will be speaking in small mixed groups, the program is limited to the first 30 American and 30 Israeli 2Gs and 3Gs. Please register by November 7.

Please note: You are registering to actively participate in the discussion. If you are unable to attend, please email genafter@genafterdc.org so that someone from the waitlist can take your place.

SAVE THE DATE: Annual Meeting and Hanukkah Luncheon, December 15

December 15, 2024, 12:30 PM ET – 2:30 PM,

Congregation Beth El, Bethesda, MD

On Sunday, December 15, Gen After will host an intergenerational Hanukkah luncheon. 3GDC will cosponsor the joyful, in-person event with us. In addition to festive food, Lox and Vodka will provide singing, dancing and Hanukkah entertainment. Admission will be charged to help cover expenses (except for survivors and children 5-years old and under.) Watch your inbox for the invitation.

Gen After's annual meeting will be held prior to the festivities at 12:00 PM at the same location.

PUBLISHED: Jane Friedman's Article Published in Moment

Jane Friedman

Yasher koach to Gen After member Jane Friedman, whose article ”Set in Stone, Stumbling Home” appeared in the September 16 issue of Moment. Reviewers have noted that “It explores her emotional return to Germany as part of the Stolpersteine project, which installs small brass plaques in the sidewalk to commemorate victims of the Holocaust, including her relatives.”

Jane was one of the four Generations After writers featured in our September 29 memoir-writing program.

Read the article.

- Around the Community -

UPCOMING: October 2024 Dorot Programs for 2Gs

The fifth in an online series of programs for children of survivors will be held on October 10th. The remaining offerings will run through the end of the month. The October 10th program is titled "Growing Up Jewish in Pre-War Europe" and will run from 1:00-2:00 PM ET. Dr. Zachary Mazur, Senior Historian of the POLIN Museum, will address the question of how Jews across pre-war Europe could remain Jewish while also trying to "fit in."

See the full list of programs and register here.

UPCOMING: Women as Saviors, October 31, 2024, 1:00 PM ET

Non-Jewish Women Who Saved Jews

WHIS, Women in the Holocaust International Study Center, will host a panel discussion to be moderated by Prof. Lily Zamir, David Yellin Academic College in Jerusalem, WHISC. Topics include:



"My world was falling apart, and I wanted to defend it" — Women Righteous Among the Nations, Ms. Irena Steinfeldt, Independent Researcher

The Challenge of the Exception: Stories of Nuns Who Helped Jews During the Holocaust, Prof. Dr. Carol Rittner, RSM

The Women from the Rosenstrasse, Prof. Moshe Zimmermann

Register to receive the Zoom link.

UPCOMING: Personalizing the Past, December 11, 2024, 7:30 PM ET

The Bethesda Chevy Chase Jewish Community Group will host Prof. Susan Evans, Ed.D., Research and Reference Specialist, The David M. Rubenstein National Institute for Holocaust Documentation, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Prof. Evans will present an overview of the USHMM's Research Services, including examples of digitalized documentation and how individual inquiries, regarding victims who perished and those who survived, are processed.

She will also explain how those who wish to initiate such research can submit a personal inquiry. Register to receive the Zoom link.

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Send your Gen After Newsletter Items by the 15th of Every Month

Do you know of an event or news item that the Generations After community needs to learn about? Please email it by the 15th of the month along with a very short description to genafter@genafterdc.org. Our Communication Committee will review it and, if possible, publish it in the upcoming issue.

- Around the Community -

Gen After Remember a Child Program

Are there b'nai mitzvah coming up in the family?

The Remember A Child (RAC) program pairs adult and young b'nai mitzvah students with children murdered during the Shoah before they were able to have a bar or bat mitzvah. Participants receive a scroll of remembrance, biography, and links for additional information about their child. More than 800 b'nai mitzvah students have enriched their milestone simcha by participating in this meaningful program. Contact RAC Coordinator Barbara Brandys for information and click for details.

Holocaust Survivors–The Last Generation

Child survivors meet the third Sunday of each month. Join the Zoom call or contact Ayana Touval for more information.

3GDC Group

Learn about DC, Maryland, and Virginia 3rd Generation activities on the 3G Facebook page.

Resources to Address Antisemitism

Listing of several organizations that can assist in addressing antisemitic incidents.

Jewish Records Indexing-Poland (JRI-Poland)

JRI-Poland seeks volunteers to help make important family records available. Contact volunteers@jri-poland.org.

Arolsen Archive Project "Every Name Counts"

“Every Name Counts” aspires to make available every name contained in the online archive. Help digitize names into the massive and vital Arolsen Archive. Learn more at the Arolsen Archive website or #everynamecounts.

Generations of the Shoah, International (GSI)

GSI newsletters list hundreds of Holocaust-related events, conferences, lectures, books, and resources from around the world at www.genshoah.org.