South Orange-Maplewood Interfaith Holocaust Remembrance: 2026 Service Info

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of the South Orange-Maplewood Interfaith Holocaust Committee. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

The South Orange-Maplewood Interfaith Holocaust Remembrance Committee is proud to announce the 49th South Orange/Maplewood Interfaith Holocaust Remembrance Service, slated for Sunday, March 15, 2026, at St. Joseph Catholic Church at 767 Prospect Street in Maplewood.

This solemn occasion will commence at 2 p.m. at the township parking lot at the intersection of Indiana Street and Springfield Avenue in Maplewood, with the March of Remembrance and Hope, honoring the memory of the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the millions of others murdered by the Nazi regime, as well as the survivors. All are invited to bring a non-perishable item for the food bank at that location. The march will end at St. Joseph, where the formal service will begin at 3 p.m.

Speaking at the service will be Eva Wiener, who, as a baby, was with her parents on board the notorious MS St. Louis, the German ocean liner enroute in 1939 from Germany to Cuba as a pawn in the Nazi’s efforts to show the world that the 900 Jews on the ship were unwanted anywhere in the world. Ms. Wiener will speak of her family’s experiences on the ship and their eventual acceptance into England, where they survived World War II.

Christopher Kaiser, Youth Minister at Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church in South Orange, will be awarded the prestigious Sister Rose Thering Holocaust Education Award for his many years of educating his congregation’s young people and other community youth about the Holocaust and its lessons.

Initiated in 1977, this interfaith service is the first – and longest-running – service of its kind in New Jersey. The committee invites members of the community to join together to honor the memory of the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the millions of others murdered by the Nazi regime, reaffirming our dedication to a more just and compassionate world for all.

For more information, contact alevine.mustang@gmail.com / 973-477-9155, or visit www.rememberandtell.org

About the South Orange-Maplewood Interfaith Holocaust Remembrance Committee

The South Orange-Maplewood Interfaith Holocaust Remembrance Committee is dedicated to commemorating the memory of Holocaust victims and promoting education and awareness about the Holocaust and its lessons. Through annual events and initiatives, the committee seeks to stand against resurgent antisemitism and hate, and foster understanding, empathy and tolerance in the community.

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