All are invited to be a part of Southern Arizona’s annual Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) commemoration on Sunday, April 12, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. This year’s event, titled ”The Legacy We Leave Behind,” will be held in the Paul and Alice Baker Ballroom at the Tucson Jewish Community Center.
The commemoration is a collaborative effort presented by the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center, the Tucson JCC, Jewish Family & Children’s Services (JFCS), and Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona (JPSA).
Holocaust survivors speak often of the legacy that they will eventually leave for all of us who come after. These stories are deeply personal and move far beyond what is captured in the annals of history. While their legacies are distilled into words such as “resilience,” “honor,” “family,” and “memory,” the meanings go far deeper.
For all Holocaust survivors, their most immediate legacy is the act of bearing witness, the first-hand account that transforms “The Holocaust” from a massive, abstract historical event into a collection of human stories. By sharing their names, their families’ names, and their individual experiences, they restore the dignity that the Nazi regime tried to strip away. This legacy ensures that the six million are remembered as individuals, not just statistics.
Survivors give us a moral mandate. Their story is a constant call to vigilance against dehumanization, prejudice, and indifference. The phrase “Never Again” is a living legacy that challenges subsequent generations to stand up for the marginalized and to recognize the early warning signs of systemic hate.
The survivors in our community have shared profound examples of strength and resilience that allowed them to rebuild shattered lives. Many came to places like Tucson with nothing — no family, no money, and carrying immense trauma — yet they built businesses, raised families, and contributed to their new communities. This legacy teaches us about the incredible capacity of the human spirit to find meaning and joy even after experiencing the absolute worst of humanity. For many survivors, the greatest legacy is the generations that come after and cultural survival. Every child, grandchild, and great-grandchild is a living victory over the evils they faced. By passing down Jewish traditions, languages like Yiddish or Ladino, and family recipes, they ensured that the culture the Nazis tried so hard to erase would instead thrive. Their legacy is a bridge between a world that was destroyed and a future that must be carefully protected.
As the world faces rising antisemitism, the Tucson community remains steadfast in its commitment to the survivors to honor “Never Again.” And this solemn program serves as a collective promise to safeguard the memories of the six million Jewish lives lost and to honor the resilience of local survivors.
Please make plans to join our local survivors and be a part of that community commitment. The event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required to attend at www.tjmhc.org/programs-and-events/yom-hashoah-26
