Holocaust survivor Goldie Jacoby to speak at CSUB
Behind every Holocaust survivor is an incredible story of determination, struggle and loss as well as a journey of the triumph of survival. Survivor Goldie Jacoby will share her story with the community on Aug. 25 at Cal State Bakersfield’s Dore Theatre.
Amid rising antisemitism, Holocaust whitewashing and denial rampant in our society, it’s important for people to see someone who lived through it and experienced the atrocities, said Rabbi Shmuel Schlanger of Chabad of Bakersfield.
“It’s powerful” to hear these stories, Schlanger said. Now more than ever, we must listen carefully to the voices of living survivors of the Shoah.
We must share their stories widely, and use their testimonies to teach future generations because those who are ignorant of the past are doomed to repeat it.
Jacoby said she has been traveling to schools and communities to share her story for the past 40 years and that the responses she has gotten from students have been “unbelievable.”
Jacoby’s presentation will be about two hours long as she tells her and her husband’s experiences during the Holocaust.
When Jacoby was 5 years old, she and the nine other members of her family hid in a small pigsty in Poland for three years and witnessed “unforgettable horrors.”
Schlanger said he hopes Jacoby’s talk will have a positive effect on the community.
“The point is to give a message of hope,” Schlanger said.
Jacoby cited a Jewish phrase and said, “If you save one life, you save the world.” She said that is what she is trying to do when she shares her story.
“That’s what I’m hoping for,” Jacoby said. “That people understand that we must be kind to one another.”
Presented by Chabad of Bakersfield and The Central Valley Holocaust Memorial, “An Evening with Holocaust Survivor Goldie Jacoby” will begin at 5 p.m. Aug. 25 at the theater on the CSUB campus, 9001 Stockdale Highway.
Tickets are $18, $7 for students (ages 13 and older). Visit chabadofbakersfield.com/goldiejacoby to reserve tickets.
For more information about the event, email info@chabadofbakersfield.com or call 661-834-1512.