‘Survival and Life After the Holocaust’: Spokane crowd remembers 6 million murdered Jews, millions of survivors

Eighty years ago, Allied troops moved across Europe and closed in on Germany, encountering thousands of concentration camp prisoners, many clinging to life because of the horrific treatment and conditions they endured.

Thirty years ago, Temple Beth Shalom on Spokane’s South Hill started the Spokane Community Observance of the Holocaust to honor the 6 million Jews killed during the Holocaust, those who survived and others who assisted Jews during the war.

The annual tradition continued Wednesday night at the synagogue as a few hundred attendees remembered the murder of millions of innocent Jewish families and children during World War II.

“That number, 6 million, is almost impossible to think about for most of us,” said Mary Noble, of the Yom Hashoah planning committee. “The 3 million Jews in Europe who survived had endured an unimaginable time.”

Noble said two out of three Jews in Europe had been killed by the end of the war, reducing the world Jewish population by one-third.

Some Jews fought or worked with resistance groups during the war while others hid in forests, churches, sewers and in the countryside with non-Jewish families.

“It took time, but the survivors gradually moved forward and created new lives,” Noble said.

The theme of this year’s observance was “Survival and Life After the Holocaust,” which was evident with artwork displayed in the church created by local middle and high school students.

More than 100 students from the Spokane area participated in the Jessica Stein Memorial Art Contest. The students highlighted survivors who went on to live productive lives after the Holocaust. Winners of the contest were announced during Wednesday’s observance.

Noble said many survivors were not welcomed to their former homes and made new ones all over the world. Still, some stayed in Europe.

“Most had families and considered this their ultimate revenge, the continuation of the Jewish people,” Noble said.

Noble announced six individuals or groups who approached the stage and lit a candle of a Menorah during the candle-lighting ceremony.

Carla Peperzak, a Spokane resident and Holocaust survivor, lit the first candle. She was joined by Kristine Hoover and Clement Lye for the lighting.

Hoover and Lye are Gonzaga University employees who made the documentary “Carla the Rescuer” about Peperzak’s journey as a Jewish member of the Dutch Resistance and her determination to educate and speak out against injustice.

The first candle honored the 6 million Jews who perished and the Jews who survived.

The second lit candle honored the memory of “destroyed communities” as thousands of Jewish communities were wiped out, Noble said.

The third candle represented the 1.5 million Jewish children targeted and killed by Nazis in an effort to completely eliminate Jews.

The fourth candle honored the liberators of the concentration camps. Four daughters of four local servicemen, who have since passed and were previously honored at the inaugural observance, lit the candle. The four veterans liberated camps, Noble said.

The fifth candle recognized the “righteous among the nations,” or those who fought for and protected Jews during the war and today.

“Today, during a time of antisemitism that has been unprecedented since the time of World War II, Jews still rely on and appreciate the support of our non-Jewish friends around the world,” Noble said.

Pastor Janet Ahrend of Plymouth Congregational Church in Spokane lit that candle for her and her congregation’s decadeslong support of Israel and Jewish people, according to Noble.

“They’ve been steadfast despite attempts to instill fear and intimidation through repeated vandalizing of their property because of that support,” Noble said. “It takes courage and commitment to stand up and speak up, and they are indeed among the righteous gentiles.”

Aubrey Marquis, a high school senior who was studying in Israel during the fall of 2023 when the “horrific events” of Oct. 7 happened, lit the sixth candle to honor the “state of Israel,” Noble said.

The Gaza war interrupted Marquis’ program, as well as the lives of everyone else in Israel.

“We pray for the release of the remaining hostages and for the establishment of a permanent and lasting peace in Israel and the surrounding region,” Noble said.