MALDEN, MA — Two Malden residents were honored posthumously at the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston’s Yom HaShoah 2026, Boston’s Community Holocaust Commemoration. The annual event is held as a day of remembrance for the six million Jewish people killed during the Holocaust. This year’s ceremony recognized World War II veterans and Dachau liberators William “Bill” Dempsey and Ralph M. Leach.
Dempsey died in June 2024, one month before his 100th birthday. He left Boston College to enlist in the U.S. Army at the start of World War II and served in the 42nd Infantry, known as the Rainbow Division. His first combat action was in the Battle of the Bulge, and the city said his wartime service included stopping the advance of a German surprise attack on his company, an action for which he received a Bronze Medal.
On April 29, 1945, Dempsey’s squad played a key part in opening the gates and liberating the Dachau concentration camp. The city said that experience haunted Dempsey throughout his life. Dempsey was a lifelong Malden resident and worked as an educator and principal in the Malden public school district. He and his wife, Terry, raised their five children in Malden.
Leach, also died in 2024 at age 98. The Bangor, Maine native joined the Army’s 45th Infantry Division after graduating high school. The city said he was injured, then returned to his unit in May 1945 in time to support the liberation of Dachau.
After the war, Leach earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and married his wife Norva, who was a Malden native. In his final years, Leach moved to Seattle, Washington to be with his son and grandchildren.
The event also included an essay contest honoring Holocaust survivor Israel “Izzy” Arbeiter. According to the announcement, Arbeiter survived the Holocaust however most of his family did not. He emigrated to the United States with his wife, Anna, after the war. The city said Arbeiter became a friend of Mayor Gary Christenson and spoke several times to Malden High School students about the importance of remembering the Holocaust before his death in 2021.
“I can’t think of a better way to honor two of Malden’s finest,” Christenson said. “I’m truly grateful to the JCRC for selecting Bill Dempsey and Ralph Leach for these honors.”
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