Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day

In recognition of Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), Deborah Roth-Howe along with Congregation Havurah Shalom of Sun City, Texas and in partnership with the Georgetown Public Library have created a thought-provoking and inspiring program titled “A Reason to Remember”: Roth, Germany 1933-1942". This program will take place at The Georgetown Public Library’s Hewlett Room, located at 402 West 8th Street in Georgetown, Texas on Sunday, April 12th 2025 from 2-4pm. The event is FREE and all are welcome.

Deborah Roth-Howe, a daughter of one of the survivors of the community, will share a personal and detailed account of a rural Jewish community before, under and after Nazi Rule. She will present the powerful story at the heart of the acclaimed Holocaust exhibit “A Reason to Remember,” created by the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies. Her talk will highlight the history of the five Jewish families who lived in the village of Roth Germany between 1933 and 1942, tracing their daily lives, rising persecution, and eventual fate under Nazi rule. Through this village-level lens, Roth-Howe brings forward a deeper understanding of how the Holocaust unfolded for ordinary families whose lives were forever changed.

Through this intimate story, attendees will learn about the everyday joys, challenges, and ultimately the devastation experienced by these families as Nazi persecution tightened around them. The program underscores the importance of preserving personal histories and recognizing the individual lives behind historical events.

This Yom HaShoah event invites the community to reflect, remember, and bear witness. Roth-Howe’s presentation offers not only historical insight but also a moving intergenerational perspective grounded in her own family’s experience as Holocaust refugees.