NYBR Remember Us Initiative

The Board of Rabbis of Southern California
Remember Us Initiative
In partnership with
Remember Us: The Holocaust Bnai Mitzvah Project
Participation in The Board of Rabbis of Southern California Remember Us Initiative allows for
an incredible and spiritually rewarding experience and strengthens the chain of Jewish history.
Help bring the Remember Us concept of remembering a child lost in the Holocaust to another
young person. As we say in our liturgy: L’Dor v'Dor, From Generation to Generation.
TO PARTICIPATE
For Clergy and Educators
To register your congregation or institution, as well as access program materials,
please go to www.remember-us.org. The Remember Us professional staff are happy to
answer any questions or speak to you directly about program participation.
Please contact Paula Simon, Executive Director or Elly Cohen, Project Administrator
at 707-570-2883 or by email at [email protected].
The Board of Rabbis of Southern California
The Board of Rabbis of Southern California, formed in 1937, brings together more than 320 rabbis, from
San Diego to San Luis Obispo, representing the Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Reform and
transdenominational streams of Jewish life. The Board promotes and enriches pluralistic Jewish learning
and living through programming and leadership in the areas of Community Learning, Talmud Torah,
Social Justice, Healing & Spirituality, Professional Growth, Interfaith Activities, Media Relations and Israel.
Among its featured programs are the annual renowned High Holy Day Seminar, the largest pluralistic
gathering of rabbis outside of New York; One People, One Book, a year-long interdenominational learning
program focusing on a notable work of Jewish literature; and the Interreligious Action Center, a model for
interfaith engagement and action within Los Angeles, the most culturally diverse city in the world, as well
as for the nation and beyond. The Board of Rabbis, as part of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles,
is a vital component of the Jewish community, with influence throughout the Jewish and public
institutions in Southern California. Please visit us online at www.boardofrabbis.org and
www.facebook.com/BoardofRabbis
Creating a culture of memory
Remember Us: The Holocaust Bnai Mitzvah Project
Remember Us: The Holocaust Bnai Mitzvah Project is a national organization that makes a simple
invitation to bar/bat mitzah-aged students: remember one child who was lost in the Holocaust, and act
in his/her name to make a better world. The program has been endorsed by all denominations and is
offered without charge. To date more than 13,000 children in over 500 congregations in 34 states and six
countries, including Israel, Italy, England, Australia, South Africa and Mexico have participated.
Remember Us has partnered with local March of the Living programs, community-based Holocaust
education centers, public, private and parochial schools and non-Jewish institutions and organizations to
support Holocaust remembrance, provide post-Bnai Mitzvah involvement and other opportunities for
youth. The program is supported by voluntary donations from participants and their families,
congregations, individual donors and private foundation funding. Remember-Us is a 501c (3) organization.
Visit www.remember-us.org for more information.
Ensuring the continuity of remembrance
Inspiring a better world
The Board of Rabbis of Southern California
6505 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048 · (323) 761-8600
[email protected], www.BoardofRabbis.org
In partnership with
Remember Us: The Holocaust Bnai Mitzvah Project
www.remember-us.org
We stand at the threshold
of the first generation that will
not know Holocaust survivors.
The Board of Rabbis of Southern California Remember Us
Initiative invites each young person preparing for bar/bat
mitzvah to remember one specific child who was lost in
the Holocaust before having the chance to stand
before the Torah.
Now is the time to build the bridge of memory
between the legacy of the Holocaust and the
rising Jewish generations.
So long as we live
They too shall live
For they are part of us
As we remember them
Each of us, whether a family or an institution, is charged by
history with creating a culture of memory that ensures a
continuum of remembrance, and that teaches that memory
can inspire us to make a better world.
In each young life the inevitable encounter with the Holocaust
is a key moment to teach, to empower, and to inspire.
The Board of Rabbis of Southern California Remember Us
Initiative invites children who are preparing for bar/bat
mitzvah to participate in Remember Us: The Holocaust Bnai
Mitzvah Project. The name of one specific lost child is given
to each living child, along with suggestions for how to
remember, and how to do mitzvot and tikkun olam b’shem, in
the name of, the remembered child.
More than 13,000 children in over 500 congregations have
participated to date. Both parents and children report that
this ritual act of memory adds depth and meaning to the
bar/bat mitzvah experience. Over 1 million people have
witnessed young Jews standing at the bimah as models of
Jewish memory and the realization of our hopes for the
Jewish future.
Participation in The Board of Rabbis of Southern California
Remember Us Initiative does not add any time to children’s
or mentors’ schedules. There is no fee for participation. We
do appreciate voluntary contributions to sustain this
project. Examples of program materials are provided on the
facing page. See the back page for information on how to
participate as either a congregation or a family.
To learn more about The Board of Rabbis of Southern
California endorsement of and partnership with
Remember Us, please contact Jonathan Freund at
[email protected] or (323) 761-8600.
To participate, go to www.BoardofRabbis.org/Remember-Us,
or www.remember-us.org.
Students also receive an
Invitation with suggestions
for acts of memory.
The heart of the connection is
made through a Memorial Page
that contains the information
about one girl or boy.
A four-page Parent
Guide explains how
parents can support
their children.
To read about how other
children have remembered,
read “Stories of Participating” at
www.BoardofRabbis.org/Remember-Us.
A Mentor’s Guide
is provided for
clergy and tutors.
Children can
receive a Certificate of
Participation.
Customized
pamphlets explain
the child’s
commitment
to bar/bat
mitzah
guests.
To Participate in the
Board of Rabbis of Southern California
Remember Us Initiative
There are two easy ways to indicate your commitment to participating in this important effort. Choose the most
convenient option below to register. Upon receipt of your registration, the Remember Us Outreach Coordinator will
follow-up with you to make sure that you have the program materials you need, in the format that you need them, as
well as answer any questions you might have about participation in Remember Us.
 Online: Go to www.remember-us.org. On the home page, click the “For Clergy/Educators To Register To
Participate” button. This will take you to the online registration form. Make sure that in the drop-down
menu asking how you learned about the program you select “Board of Rabbis So Cal”
 By Mail or Email: Complete the form below and return to Remember Us by mail to Remember Us, 2777
Yulupa Avenue, #273, Santa Rosa, CA 95405. Or scan and email to [email protected].
PLEASE PRINT
Name____________________________________________________________________
Title____________________________________________________________________
Congregation _____________________________________________________________
Affiliation ________________________________________________________________
Website__________________________________________________________________
Mailing Address____________________________________________________________
City __________________________________
Phone _________________________
Preferred Method of Contact:
State_______
Zip Code_________
Email ________________________________
___phone
____email
Approximate Number of Bnai Mitzvah Per Year
_______________________________
If the primary contact for Remember Us follow-up and implementation is another member
of the clergy or staff at your congregation/school, please provide their information:
Name ___________________________________________________________________
Title ____________________________________________________________________
Email___________________________________ Phone___________________________