Melville
- Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci and Suffolk County Legislator Susan A. Berland
co-hosted the Town’s 9th Annual Anne Frank Memorial Ceremony on Sunday June 23
at Arboretum Park, featuring guest speaker and Holocaust survivor Meir
Ursherovitz.
“We, as
residents of the Town of Huntington, should follow the courage and solidarity
Anne and her family demonstrated,” said Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci. “As we
celebrate Anne Frank’s 90th birthday, we should reflect on how lucky
we are to live in a free country where we are not persecuted because of our
religious beliefs.”
“I am
proud to collaborate with Supervisor Lupinacci and the Town of Huntington to
continue this annual ceremony that I began nine years ago,” said Legislator
Susan A. Berland. “Anne Frank is a symbol of resilience and lost innocence, and
her story speaks of life, love and humanity. These ideals need to be preserved
and promoted, now more than ever, and the Anne Frank Memorial Ceremony is the
perfect venue to do just that.”
Also in
attendance for the ceremony were Assemblyman Andrew Raia, Receiver of Taxes
Jillian Guthman, and Deputy Town Clerk Stacy Colamussi representing Town Clerk
Jo-Ann Raia.
Commander
Harry Arlin and members of Jewish War Veterans Post #488 offered the
presentation of colors and flag-raising. Rabbi Susie Henson Moskowitz of Temple
Beth Torah delivered the invocation and benediction. Musical selections were
performed by Cantor Sarene Appelbaum of Temple Beth Torah. Guest speaker Meir
Usherovitz delivered a moving speech with his wife, Doris, by his side,
recounting his story as a survivor of multiple Nazi concentration camps.
Attendees
of the ceremony were invited to walk through the Anne Frank Memorial Garden and
enjoy refreshments donated by Hummel Hummel Bakery, 572 Larkfield Road, East
Northport and 7-Eleven, 733 Park Avenue, Huntington.
Anne
Frank was a Jewish teenage girl forced into hiding during the Holocaust; she is
widely known for the diary she kept which not only exposed the horrors of the
war, but also tended to the relatable problems of being a young adult.
The Anne
Frank Memorial Garden features a circular pathway surrounding the garden that
leads to the sculpture of a young girl’s dress. The Memorial Garden serves as
tribute to Anne’s legacy and offers a space for remembering those who suffered
and perished in the Holocaust.
In
the photo (l-r): Cantor Sarene Appelbaum; Rabbi Susie Heneson Moskowitz;
Receiver of Taxes Jillian Guthman; Assemblyman Andrew Raia; Legislator Susan A.
Berland; Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci; Meir Usherovitz; Doris Usherovitz;
Deputy Town Clerk Stacy Colamussi.
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