We hope you all had a happy Hanukkah. We at Gen After were delighted to have co-hosted, along with 3GDC, an in-person Hanukkah party with music, games, and, of course, latkes! It was wonderful to see survivors, 2Gs, 3Gs, and even 4Gs enjoying the holiday together. Please see the details and photos below.

Another in-person event took place this past month—the final Teach the Shoah storytelling training. Seven Gen After members participated in the training and then presented the moving stories of those who experienced that horrific chapter of human history.

This month, we commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the liberation of Auschwitz. This year commemorates the 80^th anniversary. Please see information posted later in the newsletter related to this important date.

As we usher in 2025, we again greet the new year with hope for a more tolerant and secure world for the Jewish people in Israel, here in the U.S., and around the world. We still anxiously await the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza and also for a resolution to the conflict in the region.

Our best wishes to you all for a happy and peaceful 2025.

Shelli Klein,

President

Olimpia Nowicka-Sulla,

Vice-President

UPCOMING: Speakers' Bureau Meeting, January 5, 2025, 11:00 AM ET

Hear presentations from Speakers' Bureau members who have recently taken training from either Teach the Shoah and/or the JCRC. Genie Glucksman and Ken Engel will also discuss how to craft our talks so they are suitable and most impactful for different audiences. RSVP to receive the Zoom link.

Please note that, in order to speak as a representative of The Generations After, regardless of whether or not you have participated in trainings through other organizations, you must be a paid-up Gen After member and you must have presented at one of our Speakers' Bureau meetings.

We currently have two dozen trained speakers who have been vetted by our Speakers' Bureau. We would greatly appreciate your help in identifying congregations, schools/colleges/ universities, and other groups that would be interested in having one or more of them speak at an event in 2025.

To refer organizations looking for a speaker,

please send them the Request a Speaker link.

UPCOMING: Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 23, 2025, 6:00 PM ET

SHIN-DC's Seventh Annual Congressional Commemoration

Congressional Gold Room, Rayburn Building

45 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC

Gen After is honored again this year to be a co-host of SHIN DC's annual commemoration. This year's program will feature Greek child survivor Ninetta Matsa Feldman. Register to attend in-person or online.

UPCOMING: Book Group, Februaray 9, 2025, 11:00 AM ET

Our next Book Group selection is The Counterfeit Countess, by Elizabeth B. White and Joanne Sliwa. It tells the astonishing little-known story of “Countess" Janina Suchodolska, a Jewish woman who rescued more than 10,000 Poles imprisoned by Poland’s Nazi occupiers. RSVP to receive the Zoom link.

Gen After member Alex Kor and his co-author Graham Honaker, authors of last month's book group selection A Blessing, Not a Burden, are scheduled to speak and autograph their book at the National Museum of American Jewish Military History in Washington, DC, on Sunday, January 12, from 2:00–3:30 PM ET. At our December 22 meeting, Alex provided additional insights into his parents' experiences during and after the Shoah as well as his own battle against cancer.

RECAP: Intergenerational Hanukkah Party

An intergenerational Hanukkah event with dreidel games, food, music, and dance at Congregation Beth El.

Four generations of Holocaust descendants gathered on December 15, 2024, for a joyous, warm, celebratory Hanukkah party sponsored by The Generations After and 3GDC. It was wonderful to see survivors, 2Gs, 3Gs, and 4Gs enjoy the music of Lox and Vodka, the food, including latkes and sufganiyot prepared by Congregation Beth El, and even a little hora dancing around the room. Fun was had by all!

IN MEMORIAM: Alice Masters, z"l

Alice and Peter Masters

A celebration of life will be announced in 2025. May Alice's memory be a blessing forever, Zichronah L'vracha.

Alice Masters, a beloved Washington-area child survivor, died on November 19, 2024, at the age of 99. Alice was one of the 669 children saved from the Nazis by the heroic efforts of Sir Nicholas Winton. Born in Czechoslovakia, Alice immigrated to the US in 1948 and built a career at the International Monetary Fund, retiring in1986. She married the love of her life, Peter Masters, a Jewish commando who recounted his story of resistance in the book Striking Back. Alice recorded her story through the USC Shoah Foundation and shared her experiences in DC-area schools. She is survived by daughters Anne and Kim, son Tim, six grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.

We also lost a number of extraordinary Washington-area survivors this year, who are remembered here.

DONATION: The Generations After Supports Survivors

One of the key goals of The Generations After is to support the welfare of survivors. As part of our yearly tzedakah donations, we have for a number of years contributed a percentage of our income from dues and the Remember a Child program to the national organization Blue Card. Blue Card provides emergency financial aid, food security, direct medical and dental assistance, mental health services, homecare support, and more to survivors in 35 states. The organization provides the care and dignity survivors deserve as they face the unique challenges of aging, chronic health conditions, and financial insecurity.

Join or Renew Your Gen After Membership

Join The Generations After or Renew Your 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, donate, or

send your check to:

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 -

UPCOMING: Salvaged Pages, January 5, 2025, 5:00 PM ET

Alexandra Zapruder

author of Salvaged Pages

a National Jewish Book Award Winner

in Conversation with

Dr. Miriam Klein Kassenoff

“These extraordinary diaries will resonate in the reader’s heart for

many days and many nights.”—Elie Wiesel

Details and Zoom Registration

UPCOMING: Speaker Training Opportunities

Teach the Shoah Storytelling Workshop, 6 sessions, begins January 14, 8:00 PM ET

To date, 15 of Gen After speakers have taken one or more of TtS's valuable classes. Learn more about the organization and its programs and register for the training which will be held on Tuesdays via Zoom.

JCRC Maggid Training, 4 sessions, begins February 19, 8:00 PM ET

Sixteen Gen After speakers have taken the Jewish Community Relations Council's insightful Maggid training. The next series will be held on Zoom with a final, in-person event on Sunday, March 23, in the Rockville, Maryland area. Maggid graduates will become part of the JCRC's Speakers' Bureau and are eligible for speaking opportunities through the organization. Learn more and apply.

UPCOMING: International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2025

January 22, 2:00 PM ET, Teams call from London hosted by Generation 2 Generation

Dalya Wittenberg will tell the story of her grandmother Cilla Rotblat née Friedman, born in the small Polish town of Sochaczew. Register to attend. 

January 26 and 27, US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC

Read about the Museum's events to commemorate the liberation of Auschwitz and the six million victims of the Shoah.

January 27, 12:00 PM ET, Honoring Holocaust Survivors

Blue Card, The Survivor Mitzvah Project, and Latet partner to honor the strength and stories of Holocaust survivors, explore their unique needs across different countries, and reflect on the ongoing challenges they face. Learn more and register for the Zoom link.

January 27, 3:00 PM ET, The Many Lives of Anne Frank

American Jewish University presents award-winning author Ruth Franklin and a compelling conversation about her new book. Franklin explores Anne Frank’s transformation from an ordinary teenager to a global icon, shedding new light on the Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam and the journey of her famous diary. As antisemitism resurfaces today, Franklin offers timely insights into Anne's enduring legacy. Register for the Zoom link.

January 27, 7:00 PM ET, Bender JCC, 6125 Montrose Road, Rockville, MD

The JCCGW will host the Iris Music Project and vocalist Frieda Enoch. Music is a powerful expression of emotions and experiences and unites, strengthens, and inspires us! We look toward a bright future filled with love, humor, and hope, but we will always remember… Purchase tickets.

February 1–May 10, 2025, Coming Out of Hiding Art Exhibit

Sponsored by SHIN DC and MJAM at the National Museum of American Jewish Military History, 1811 R ST NW, Washington, DC. Details.

IN MEMORIAM: Stanley Diamond, z"l

It is with great sorrow that we learned of the passing of Stanley Diamond, founder and executive director of JRI-Poland, on December 18, 2024.

As JewishGen Director Avraham Groll remembers, "It was just a year ago that we celebrated Stanley’s 90th Birthday... and reflected upon the impact he has had on so many people. Whether it was via the JRI-Poland website or the private assistance and advice that was readily offered, Stanley was the 'go-to person' for help when researching one’s Jewish roots in Poland." Read more about Stanley.

- 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 rac@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 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.

Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR)

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