For Immediate Release
Holocaust Survivor Tribute Brunch to Focus on Selfless Acts of Kindness
Rockville, MD, April 6, 2016 – For the sixth year, Charles E. Smith Life Communities will be
paying tribute to Holocaust survivors from throughout its residences and nearby with an informal
brunch on Sunday, April 17, 10:30 a.m. at Ring House. CESLC is home to the largest number of
Holocaust survivors living in the Washington region, about 60 residents. The annual event
provides survivors an opportunity to share and preserve their stories – an opportunity that
diminishes with each passing year.
The event is generously hosted by the Progress Club Foundation, as it has since 2009. “The first
three [tributes] were two years apart. After the third event, one of the residents asked, „Can‟t we
do this every year?‟ and I said, „As long as you all are here and you want it, I‟ll do it every year.
That‟s our commitment,” said Joel Appelbaum, co-chair of the Foundation.
“Our event is unique,” Appelbaum adds, “mainly because we celebrate the survival aspect. This
is not a memorial event. This year we are focusing on the „selfless acts of others‟ who helped
save our honorees”, often by sheltering them, hiding their identities from the Nazi regime, or
procuring passage on a life-saving Kindertransport.
The residents‟ stories are harrowing, compelling, life-affirming, and -- especially as we approach
Holocaust Memorial Day on May 5 -- worth hearing and sharing as part of the global
commitment to „never forget‟.
Click here for video highlights from the 2015 brunch.
For more information, contact:
Hannah R. Buchdahl
Assoc. Director, Communication
301.770.8481│[email protected]