Lunch and Yiddish Songs Entertain 57 Holocaust Survivors at Congregation Beth El

By Steve Mishek

LA JOLLA, California — Fifty-seven Holocaust survivors along with Jewish Family Service staff and volunteers  gathered at Congregation Beth El for lunch and musical entertainment as a special treat on Thursday, March 14.  The gathering was sponsored by Rita Heller and the  Supporting Our Survivors (SOS) program of Jewish Family Service.

Heller, the child of two Holocaust survivors, created this event as a way of honoring her parents. She is a member of the San Diego Generations of the Shoah, mainly composed of children of survivors. Members of that group served as volunteers.

A delicious lunch was served and the San Diego Jewish Men’s Choir provided entertainment during the meal. The choir featured a repertoire of classic Yiddish songs along with some traditional Hebrew and English pieces. Ruth Weber, the Choir’s Musical Director commented, “Our Choir is all about promoting traditional Jewish choral music. We were honored to be able to put together a program of primarily Yiddish music so that we could reach this special audience with songs in the language most of them grew up with.”

SOS provides services to low-income Holocaust Survivors, such as advocacy work, translation services, aid in completing reparations and claims forms, care management (including accompanying individuals to medical appointments) and emergency funding, often for medical treatment.

Periodically, SOS organizes socialization events and Jewish holiday parties. After arriving at Beth El, the survivors viewed photos and videos from a previous SOS event, which was a large combined group Bar/Bat Mitzvah, held in Orange County.

The survivors also receive home visits from JFS social workers. Partial funding for this event came from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

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Steve Mishek is a freelance writer and a member of the San Diego Jewish Men’s Choir.