Shelli Klein

President

Olimpia Nowicka-Sulla

Vice President

UPCOMING: Speakers' Bureau Meeting, January 4, 2026, 10:30 AM ET

With International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27) and Yom Hashoah (April 27) in the first four months of the new year, we anticipate increased requests for speakers.

Join us as we welcome some new members and discuss how to increase outreach to potential audiences. RSVP to receive the Zoom link.

UPCOMING: Holocaust Remembrance, January 21, 2026, 6:00 PM ET

SHIN DC's 8th Annual Congressional Commemoration

for Holocaust Remembrance Day

U.S. Capitol Visitor Center

Gen After is a community sponsor of this year's event. The theme is "The Holocaust in France" with Albert Garih as the keynote speaker. Albert was born in Paris in 1938 to Sephardic Jews from Constantinople (now Istanbul), who moved to France in 1923. His father was sent to a work camp in 1943, and Albert, his mother and two sisters were saved by several Christian families and two Catholic boarding schools. The family was reunited in 1944. Albert is a volunteer with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Alyza Lewin, recently named President of U.S. Affairs for Combat Antisemitism Movement, will serve as emcee for the program.

Registration is required for the event no later than January 19.

UPCOMING: Book Group Meeting, February 8, 2026, 10:30 AM ET

After the Roundup: Escape and Survival in Hitler’s France by Joseph Weismann, and translated by Richard Kutner. Joseph's memoir details his harrowing experiences as a Jewish boy during World War II. The book describes the events of July 16 and 17, 1942, when French police rounded up thousands of Jews, including Weismann and his family, during the Vél' d'Hiv Roundup. The book describes how Joseph and a friend escaped and how Joseph survived.

Thomas Kinneally, author of Schindler’s List, wrote of the book, “As few others manage, Joseph Weismann’s memoir captures the tension between the great communal torment and the unique personal repercussions of those who endured the Holocaust. This is a boy’s story, except that boy is in hell, faces it, and survives.” In 2010, the story was made into a film, La Rafle, directed by Roselyn Bosch.

Gen After members can RSVP to receive the Zoom link. New members are welcome! Join or renew today.

UPCOMING: Yiddish Conversation Group, Schedule TBD

Calling all Yiddish speakers! Interested in joining a Yiddish conversation group? Meetings will be held via ZOOM (meeting schedule still to be determined). If you are interested, please RSVP to genafter@genafterdc.org. 

RECAP: The Generations After Membership Party & Annual Meeting

Gen After members and guests attended a lively and informative early Hanukkah gathering and annual membership meeting on December 7. They heard and saw a year-end wrap-up of Gen After events and accomplishments.

Two of our Writing Group members read memoir excerpts, and two Speakers' Bureau members presented their stories to a rapt audience. Live music was provided by Vladimir Fridman (pictured), with audience members singing and dancing along. We were delighted to welcome several new members to the organization and look forward to another year of important work remembering and commemorating our Shoah legacy.

From left, our registration table garnered new members! Dancing to the music of Vladimir Fridman, Gen After President Shelli Klein took us through the year in photos

From left, Writing Group members Anne-Marie Deutsch and Nira Barry and Speakers' Bureau member Jake Tenenbaum

RECAP: Teach the Shoah Workshop

Genie Glucksman

Sheri Heller

On December 10, 2025, an audience of more than 25 people was enthralled by the stories told by Gen After Speakers' Bureau members Genie Glucksman and Sheri Heller. Genie spoke about her mother Manya and her aunt Genka who were in the Gruenberg slave labor camp together as well as a death march to Bergen-Belsen. Sheri Heller talked about her mother Rita Rubinstein’s treasured tallit, which belonged to Rita’s father, who was killed when she was a child.

Teach the Shoah (TTS) workshop participants learned how to shape Holocaust memories into stories and then tried out their story-telling skills utilizing imagery.

The audience also saw a compelling example of TTS's Lesaper program, which pairs young adults ages 18–30 with survivors to learn about their' experiences and gain the skills to speak about them impactfully. TTS Historian & Lesaper Project Manager Emily Hand shared the story of a survivor with whom she had been paired in 2024.

A panel of Gen After TTS-trained storytellers and Ms. Hand shared personal reflections on their role as memory keepers and explained how their Teach the Shoah training helped enhance their confidence and their abilities.

Leading this 90-minute workshop were TTS Executive Director Dr. Deborah Fripp and Director of Holocaust Scholarship and General Manager Lynne Feldman.

From left, panelists Genie Glucksman, Emily Hand, Dena Hirsh, and Sheri Heller, with TTS Executive Director Deborah Fripp

Join or Renew Your Gen After Membership

Individual member dues are $36, and family memberships are $54. Your generous support will help us keep you and the 2G community engaged and informed and ensure that the legacy of the Shoah is never forgotten.

Sign up, or send

your check to:

Send your Gen After Newsletter Items by the 23rd of Each 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 -

UPCOMING: October 7: In Their Own Words, January 28, 2026, 7:30 PM

Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.

An historic performance of a powerful 100% verbatim play is drawn from survivor testimonies of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel. Written by Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney, directed by Jeff Gurner. and produced by Unreported Story Society, this staged reading presents a story of Israel’s darkest day, but is also a story of survival, hope, and resistance against the forces of darkness. Purchase tickets.

UPCOMING: Ongoing Support Group

Second-generation descendants of Holocaust survivors will meet monthly until April 16, 2026, 7:00–9:00 PM ET. The monthly gatherings are facilitated by Dr. Irit Felsen and Dr. Jenni Frumer. These sessions, hosted by Holocaust Learning Experience, are more than meetings—they are a safe, informal space for connection, mutual support, and engaging dialogue. Each gathering offers a chance to unite with others who share a unique bond, exchange meaningful insights, and strengthen our collective resilience. Register.

UPCOMING: 2026 Study Visits to Poland

Forum for Dialogue Study Visits are week-long learning experiences that go beyond typical heritage and Holocaust tours—they are opportunities to explore history, understand the present, and witness first hand how pre-war Jewish communities are being remembered locally by committed individuals from towns and villages across Poland gathered in the Forum for Dialogue Network. Learn more and register.

- Ongoing Activities -

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 at genafter@genafterdc.org for information or visit the RAC website page.

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

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.

Campus Antisemitism Data Hub on Campus4All.org presents dynamic graphs and charts to search, compare, explore, and analyze antisemitic incidents on campus from 2014 to 2025.

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.

Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR)

JFR supports those who rescued Jewish victims during the Shoah. Learn more and sign up for newsletters.

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