State Assembly Observes Holocaust Day of Remembrance
Sacramento, CA – At a ceremony today on the Assembly floor in the state Capitol, Assemblymember Philip Y. Ting (D – San Francisco) honored Rivka Spiegel, a resident of his San Francisco Assembly District, in commemoration of the Holocaust Day of Remembrance. This important day honors the victims and survivors of the Holocaust.
"This observance is a solemn reminder about the atrocities that were committed during the Holocaust, and the valiant struggle of those who perished and those who survived against incredible odds," Ting said.
Each Assemblymember selected a Holocaust survivor, liberator, or a child of a survivor from their district to attend the Sacramento ceremony. The Assembly also passed Assembly Concurrent Resolution 33, recognizing April 8th as Holocaust Memorial Day.
Born in Ozorkow Poland in 1929, Rika Spiegel was forced to leave her elementary school in September,1939, when the Ozorkow Ghetto was formed. There she spent five years doing hard physical labor making Wehrmacht Uniforms for German Soldiers. In September, 1944, she was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and then transferred to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. At the age of 15 she was sent to do forced labor at the Zalcweidl Labor Camp in Germany until her liberation in May,1945. After the liberation, she immigrated to the United States at age 16. Now 83 years old, she lives independently in the Richmond district of San Francisco.
"Today, I am proud to honor Ms. Spiegel and so many others who endured similar tragedies. We must continue to honor the memory of Holocaust victims who are gone, and learn the stories of those who are still with us. Through their stories we will teach future generations to counter indifference with vigilance, and apathy with action," Ting said.
CONTACT: Maurilio Leon, 415.557.2312