Days of Remembrance
Starts April 16, 2023 - Ends April 23, 2023
The Bender JCC will remember the victims, honor the survivors, and embrace the lessons of the Holocaust as we look towards a hopeful future free from hate. Antisemitism ─ the hatred of or prejudice against Jews ─ was at the foundation of the Holocaust and a basic tenet of Nazi ideology. During the Days of Remembrance, we also remember the non-Jewish victims of the Holocaust who suffered grievous oppression and death for ideological, political, and racial reasons. Through a week of commemorative events ─ including art, film, literature, music, and survivor testimonies ─ our community will reflect on the dangers of bigotry. Days of Remembrance is a call to conscience to ensure that we don’t stand silently in the face of hate in all its forms.
Schedule of Commemorative Events
Ongoing, weeklong exhibits
Why We Remember
A self-guided, multimedia experience in the Weiner Judaic Museum, adjacent to the atrium.
Faces of the Resistance: Women in the HolocaustThe untold stories of 20 women who stood up to the Nazi’s persecution.
The Butterfly Project150 paper butterflies designed by local students to honor the lives of the 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust.
Sunday, April 16
1:00 PM | Cinema J presents: Persona Non Grata
The story of a Japanese diplomat who saved over 6,000 Jewish refugees during the Holocaust.
2:00 PM | The Good Fight: Teens Against Antisemitism
Teens from across the DMV will discuss antisemitism and hate, including a service-learning project benefiting marginalized communities. Offered in partnership with ADL Washington, DC, and BBYO.
7:00 PM | Cinema J presents: Farewell Mr. HaffmannFacing Nazi occupation, a Parisian jeweler comes to an agreement with his employee that will forever change their fate in this riveting historical drama.
Monday, April 17
7:00 PM | Lessans Literary Series: 
The House of Fragile ThingsA powerful history of Jewish art collectors in France.
tuesday, April 18
7:00 PM | Zikaron Basalon: Together We Remember
As part of our Days of Remembrance events, we are pleased to welcome Holocaust survivor and local community member, Theodora (Dora) Klayman in person at the Bender JCC. Dora will share her story of survival.
wednesday, April 19
7:00 PM | Music from the Holocaust 
We are thrilled to welcome the Iris Music Trio along with guest vocalist, Frieda Enoch, as part of Bender JCC’s Days of Remembrance. Music offered Jews a way to express their humanity in inhuman conditions, to escape from reality and give Voice to their yearning for freedom, finding precious moments of comfort and hope. With Anti-Semitism, bigotry and hatred on the rise, it is more important than ever to learn from lessons of the past and to raise our voices in song!
thursday, April 20
7:00 PM | Cinema J presents: Schachten
A young Jewish businessman takes the law into his own hands to pursue the Nazi who tortured his parents.
