They lit six candles in somber remembrance of the 6 million Jews who died during the Holocaust. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown joined members of the Jewish Federation of Greater Buffalo in proclaiming the week of May 1 a week of remembrance of Holocaust victims. Pieter Weinreb, Co-President of the Holocaust Resource Center, shared his thoughts on the far-reaching impact of a tragic time. Weinreb said it is important to look to the past in order to prevent future atrocities.
“We are obligated to remember, painful though it is, that the hatred that bred the Holocaust still exists," Weinreb said. "It is for that reason that we recognize the Holocaust is not just a Jewish tragedy, it is fundamentally a human tragedy. One of its most terrifying lessons is that this kind of terror and inhumanity can too easily occur.”
The lighting of each candle was followed by commemorative readings.