At the elderly center on Yom HaShoah.

Last year on Yom HaShoah I was on the March of the Living and I was doing the three kilometer march from Auschwitz to Birkenau with over 6000 people and hundreds of survivor, which was probably one of the most moving and emotional thigns I have ever done in my life.

But this year, on a day that is for remembering the people who lived and died in the Shoah, I was volunteering at an old age center. I was incorperated into their community of people who lived through the Shoah, and watched their families die. I spent the day talking to many of them and hearing their stories.

We had a tekez that morning. After everyone got into the room I sat down and just looked around. Before any music had played, before any stories were told, before we sang hatikva, I saw many of them sobbing. Obviously this day is much harder for them than it is for me or you. But watching how sad and important this day was for them it made me realize how we are begining to forget.

Young Judaea chanichim set up a tekez. Their tekez was nice, but at the same time it was not as moving for me. I feel like as a people, it is important to remember what has happened to us so we do not let history repeat itself.

Seeing the people at the elderly home stand straight up, looking foward, while singnig hatikva really showed me how important the state of Israel is for them. How the State of Israel is a a figure, is a stopping force of letting anything like the Shoah from happening again.

And at the same time we do say "never again" while genocides are occuring today.