Montclair Library To Commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of the Montclair Public Library. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.

On Thursday, April 28, the Montclair Public Library will be commemorating Yom HaShoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day, with two programs co-presented by the Montclair Interfaith Clergy Association.

● 2:30 p.m.: “‘Maus’: Unpacking Censorship with Rabbi Ariann Weitzman” for grades 8-12. Registration required. Register at bit.ly/UnpackingMaus

● 5:30 p.m.: “A Bag of Marbles,” an award-winning feature film. Recommended for ages 13+

The library will also be giving away Holocaust-themed reading lists for adults, teens and children. Go to https://montclairlibrary.org/borrow/lists/holocaust-remembrance/ to see the lists.

“‘Maus’: Unpacking Censorship with Rabbi Ariann Weitzman”

“Maus,” a classic graphic novel memoir about the Holocaust, has been much in the news as the target of a recent book ban in a Tennessee school. Rabbi Ariann, associate rabbi and director of congregational learning at Bnai Keshet synagogue in Montclair, will lead a discussion for teens, grades 8 through 12, about the persistence of book censorship, the effects of silencing marginalized voices and uncomfortable narratives, and its impact on a wider audience. All program registrants will be entered into a drawing for “Maus: Volumes I & II.” The winner must be present at the program, or another name will be drawn to receive the books. Registration is required. Register at bit.ly/UnpackingMaus

“A Bag of Marbles”

Release date: 2017. Runtime: 1:53. Subtitles. Original language: French. Unrated. Recommended for ages 13+. No registration required.

An award-winning film about two young Jewish brothers surviving in Nazi-occupied France, based on a true story. "Like its characters, ‘A Bag of Marbles’ is perpetually on the move, running from one location to the next as the brothers must rely on the kindness of strangers while simultaneously keeping their guard up. It’s to the film’s credit that many of these side characters come off as vividly realized people in their own right.”—Roger Ebert

About Yom HaShoah/Holocaust Remembrance Day

Yom HaShoah or Holocaust Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The idea is to document Jewish resistance to the Nazis in World War II, how they retained their human dignity in the most unbearable conditions, and how they fought the Nazis in the ghettos and joined underground partisans who battled the Third Reich in occupied countries. The Montclair Interfaith Clergy Association will be holding a commemorative service of Yom HaShoah at Bnai Keshet on Wednesday, April 27, 2022.

The Montclair Interfaith Clergy Association is a group of religious leaders who represent the diversity of religious expression in Montclair.

Rabbi Ariann Weitzman is an Associate Rabbi and the Director of Congregational Learning at Bnai Keshet Reconstructionist Synagogue. She is a Jewish educator committed to innovative approaches to Jewish teaching and learning.

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