PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Sunday, April 16, at 2 p.m., join the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires for a community commemoration of Yom HaShoah-Holocaust Remembrance Day with a screening of "Passage to Sweden" and a family story told by Agi Sardi, daughter of a Holocaust survivor saved by Swedish intervention. 

 

Candle lighting and prayers of remembrance led by Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch will follow the film. This free in-person event will take place at the Berkshire Museum's Little Cinema, located at 39 South Street in Pittsfield. Space is limited – register on our calendar of events listing at jewishberkshires.org.

 

About the Film

 

Passage to Sweden tells the lesser-known story of events occurring in Scandinavia and Budapest during World War II, focusing on the heroic actions of ordinary people who saved the lives of thousands of Jews and fellow countrymen.  The film pays special homage to the Norwegian resistance, the citizens of Denmark, the Swedish Red Cross, Raoul Wallenberg, and Count Folke Bernadotte, a Swedish nobleman and diplomat. Risking their own lives, their selfless acts of courage and compassion provide a powerful example of how anyone can make a difference.

 

About the Speaker

 

Agi Sardi is the daughter of Dr Andrew Sardi, a Hungarian Jew who experienced pervasive pre-war antisemitism. His mother was able to procure a certificate of protection issued by the Swedish legation, and the family was sheltered in a Raoul Wallenberg safe house from October 1944 through Soviet liberation. Dr. Sardi passed away in 2003. During his life, he was dedicated to ensuring the Holocaust would never be repeated. His daughter Agi continues his important work and will share her family story.

 

About Yom HaShoah

 

The full name of the day commemorating the victims of the Holocaust is "Yom Hashoah Ve-Hagevurah"– literally the "Day of (Remembrance of) the Holocaust and the Heroism." It is marked on the 27th day in the month of Nisan — a week after the seventh day of Passover, and a week before Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day for Israel's fallen soldiers).