By Hannah Cotter for WMUR.com, April 16, 2023
Originally posted on wmur.com
MANCHESTER, N.H. —
Dozens walked from one Manchester synagogue to another Sunday to remember the lives lost during the Holocaust.
The movement is part of an international campaign leading up to Yom HaShoah, Israel’s Holocaust Day of Remembrance.
"It's 77 years since the liberation of the death camps, the war camps in Europe, and we are here in solidarity," said Ra'anan Dehaas, Israeli Emissary with the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire.
People of all ages walked the streets of Manchester holding Israeli flags high.
The Jewish Federation of New Hampshire partnered with two Manchester synagogues to organize the half-mile walk.
They're also aiming to raise awareness of global antisemitism, which has also been on the rise in New Hampshire.
Just recently, swastikas and other hateful graffiti were spray-painted on businesses in Portsmouth.
“When we stand together, when we walk together, we are not hiding from that. We are standing together as a community,” said Allyson Guertin, executive director of the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire.
Last year, the anti-defamation league documented 12 anti-Semitic incidents across the state.
"No group should be discriminated, no children should be scared to go into their houses of worship, no parent should be afraid to send their children there," said Tracy Richmond, of Bedford. "As board members of the federation, we see this all the time and we ask our community to help us stand up."
Organizers hope events like this can help raise awareness and bring the community together.
"This is not a Jewish event, this is not a Manchester event, this is a greater community event," Dehaas said.
Israel's Day of Remembrance begins Monday at sundown and lasts until sundown on Tuesday.
The Jewish Federation of New Hampshire has several events planned this week.
