Every Treasure Has a Story:
Inviting Holocaust Survivors to Share Their Personal Artifacts
The Kaplen JCC on the Palisades invites Holocaust survivors and their families in Northern New Jersey to share their personal artifacts and Holocaust-related mementos, which will be featured in a special temporary exhibition at the JCC. Items can include documents, such as passports, visas, work permits, travel permits, as well as authentic and false identification cards; photos of themselves or lost loved ones; religious artifacts such as Siddurim, Mezuzot, Tefilin and prayer shawls; and various personal items, such as clothes, books, diaries, utensils or other objects linked to this terrible time in history.
“As a large population of Holocaust survivors live in this area, our hope is to assemble a meaningful assortment artifacts that can serve as visible, tangible reminders of what these survivors endured,” says Dr. Mordecai Paldiel, who is spearheading the effort to launch the exhibit. “So many have assiduously held on to these reminders, and in many cases, have made no plans for their proper disposition. We believe that it is important that these items are preserved and viewed and reflected upon…that they won’t be lost forever.”
Dr. Paldiel is prepared to schedule appointments at the JCC on Tuesdays in March between the hours of 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM to meet privately with survivors to evaluate and discuss their artifacts and their potential inclusion in the exhibit. He is also willing to discuss their use as educational tools in schools and colleges, as well as the possibility to arrange a final “resting place” for them at the New York Heritage Museum or the Washington Holocaust Memorial Museum.
People willing and interested in meeting with Dr. Paldiel must contact Rabbi Steve Golden in advance to schedule an appointment at the JCC at 201.408.1426.
Kaplen JCC on the Palisades
411 E. Clinton Avenue
Tenafly, NJ
