8th TSC hosts Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – The 8th Theater Sustainment Command honored Holocaust Remembrance Day with a joint observance at the Aloha Jewish Chapel on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, May 6, 2024.

The synagogue was filled with military members from all branches, as well as a special visit from Hawaii’s Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke.

Seymour Kazimirski, a philanthropist and motivational speaker, served as the guest speaker for the event. During the remembrance, Seymour shared the story of his mother and diversity.

“My mother was a survivor of the Holocaust and decided that she would spend her life educating children and adults about the lessons,” said Kazimirski. “Thank you for acknowledging the importance of this day and its impact on the world.”

Holocaust Remembrance Day honors the memory of the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis. Almost eight decades later, Seymour continues his mother’s legacy, here in Hawaii, of educating others about “the terrible darkness of that time.”

During the observance service members and Luke lit seven candles, which represented prominent figures during the German Nazi era such as Mordechai Anielewicz, a leader within the Jewish community, Felix Nussbaum, an artist, and other victims who’ve left behind important source documents like Ann Frank.

Guests attending the observance also participated in the traditional Mourner’s Kaddish, a hymn praising God that is recited during Jewish prayer services.

“My hope is that we take this memory in a way of empathy, to help us on the road to reconciliation,” said U.S. Navy Chaplain Rabbi Lt. j.g. Ryan M. Mallek.