Holocaust Remembrance Day event in Belchertown draws 150, calls for education in wake of antisemitic incidents at middle school
BELCHERTOWN — Raised by two Holocaust refugees, both of whom lost grandparents, aunts, uncles and relatives to concentration camps, Deborah Roth-Howe grew up commemorating Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. But this year, recent antisemitic incidents at the town’s middle school shone extra light on the day’s significance.
“There’s a really important imperative in my family about not being a bystander and not being silent … that’s why I’m here,” said Roth-Howe, adding that she believes that school administrators should turn recent events into a teaching opportunity for students.