Jerry Kinast of Liberty lights a candle on a menorah Sunday for his father, Henry Kinast, who was a Holocaust survivor who died in March, during the Shoah Memorial Ceremony held at the Jewish Community Center. Tribune Chronicle / Bob Coupland

YOUNGSTOWN — The director of the Holocaust Center in Pittsburgh remembered the impact the morning of Oct. 27, 2018, has on her.

That was the day 11 people were killed at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

Dr. Lauren Apter Bairnsfather was the keynote speaker Sunday at the annual Shoah Memorial Ceremony held at the Jewish Community Center.

Bairnsfather said she remembers her sister calling her at 10 a.m., telling her about what had happened at the Tree of Life

“I was watching the news and my phone kept ringing. I was going to the airport that day to pick up Magda, a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor, who was speaking the next day at Chatham University,” she said.

Bairnsfather since last October there has been more and more requests for Holocaust education programs in the schools which the Holocaust Center offers and provides guidance.

With the recent shooting at synagogue in California and other violence against people of faith, Bairnsfather noted: “We are members of a club that no one would ever want to be a member of.”

This year’s theme for the Shoah ceremony was “Do Not Stand Silent: Remembering Kristallnacht,” which happened Nov. 9-10, 1938 when the Nazis attacked Jewish persons and property. The name Kristallnacht refers to the litter of broken glass left in the streets.

Second and third generation family members of Holocaust survivors each lit six candles on the menorah for their loved one.

Howland resident Robert Rawl said he was remembering his father, Lawrence Rawl, who was a survivor.

“This brings back memories and sorrow. My father lost family at Auschwitz. It’s a sorrowful day, but you need to keep memories alive,” Rawl said.

Rochelle Miller of Liberty who lit a candle for her father Bill Vegh, a Holocaust survivor, who died in 2009. “He and others had courage, bravery and endurance in their lifetimes,” she said.

Jesse McClain, a Holocaust education specialist, said as more survivors pass away there is a loss of “tremendous value” that can’t be brought back. He said these survivors were living testaments to the atrocities of the Holocaust.

“The Holocaust did not start with gas chambers but with people being divided and with hate speech. There was a bystander mentality that allowed this tragedy to assume such immense proportions. It is important to remember, educate and speak out,” McClain said.

Rabbi Joseph Schonberger of Temple El Emeth said today he is very concerned with anti-Semitism and the many violent acts against different groups includes Jews.

“The evil perpetuates today with the anti-Semitism that is being spread. We cannot stand silent. We have to speak up and act to counteract hatred by working with people of all faiths. We do not want to relive the darkness,” Schonberger said.