In 2005, the United Nations General Assembly designated Jan. 27 as “International Holocaust Remembrance Day” to commemorate the date in 1945 when the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp was liberated. The day is meant to honor the memory of the six million Jews—and millions of other victims—whose lives were taken by the Nazi regime. Here in Chappaqua, the Greeley Educate Now On Understanding Genocide and Hate Club (ENOUGH Club) partnered with the New Castle Holocaust and Human Rights Committee (HHRC) to honor this important day with a powerful event that was held on Jan. 26 at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center.
Featuring keynote speaker, Holocaust survivor Helga Luden, the event was an emotional tribute to the men, women, and children who perished in World War II, as well as a powerful tool to spread awareness about this moment in modern history. “In remembering the Holocaust at our special event, we hope that our community will gain a better understanding of the past and that it will raise awareness of contemporary issues concerning prejudice, hate, and intolerance,” Stacey Saiontz, co-founder of the HHRC, explains.

The HHRC consists of 10 members appointed by the Town of New Castle Board, while the ENOUGH Club is a student-run club at Horace Greeley dedicated to spreading awareness about human rights violations. The committee partners with the students of ENOUGH Club to create three special events each year: Human Rights Day, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and Yom Hashoah (which commemorates the Warsaw Ghetto uprising). This year marks the fourth annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day event in Chappaqua.
As in past years, the event requires a lot of effort and planning from both organizations; although as Saiontz points out, “each year the planning gets a little easier, as we have a roadmap to follow from the year before.”
ENOUGH Club leader, Greeley senior Jack Rosenberg, shares that the planning begins early in the school year at the club’s frequent meetings: “Members of the ENOUGH Club brainstorm ideas for a Holocaust Survivor to share their experiences with our community.” However, as Rosenberg further explains, this is not without its challenges. “Unfortunately, as Survivors’ age and the population of Survivors dwindle, it is difficult to find a Survivor who is available and comfortable being in person during Covid.”
One such Survivor, however, was willing to tell her story: Helga Luden. Those involved in both organizations had heard Luden’s compelling story and wanted to spread her powerful message of struggle and perseverance throughout the community of Chappaqua. Fortunately, she agreed to be the event’s keynote speaker.
The event started in the lobby where attendees enjoyed treats provided by the ENOUGH Club’s bake sale as they made their way into the auditorium. Once inside, they found Survivor Helga Luden sitting and chatting with her interviewees Jack Rosenberg and Eliot Saiontz, the ENOUGH Club co-presidents. Opening remarks were made by a Greeley freshman Haley Stern, and her mother Sarah, who shared her grandmother’s story of surviving the Holocaust. Next to speak was New Castle Town Supervisor Lisa Katz, and NY State Senator Pete Harkham, both of whom stressed the importance of communities gathering to commemorate this awful chapter in human history. ENOUGH Club executives Marley Horowitz and Benny Prober then introduced the evening’s featured speaker, Helga Luden, who proceeded to share her remarkable story.
Helga Luden was born in 1934 in Ulmen, Germany and grew up among her extended family. They were practically the only Jewish citizens in Ulmen, and the family had been living happily there for many years—until Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party came to power. In 1939, Helga was sent to a camp called Gurs in France with her mother. As the two of them dealt with the harsh conditions of the camp, her mother taught young Helga how to dig a hole under the wire to escape. One night, Helga ended up escaping to the woods; she fell asleep and was woken up by a group of French partisans. They brought her to a convent and then later to an orphanage, where her mother finally found her. The reunited mother and daughter were eventually put on a boat and sent to America.
It was in the lower depths of the boat that a small miracle occurred: Helga and her mother discovered that Helga’s father was already on board. Helga and her mother hardly recognized him as “he was just skin and bones,” Helga explained. The family was together again at long last – only to be told that their boat had problems, and would have to stop in Casablanca to make repairs. Conditions in Casablanca were very difficult, but the boat finally set sail again and eventually made it to New York.
However, to the passengers’ dismay, they were abruptly turned away and sent to live in the Dominican Republic for several years. Helga’s mother eventually used a newspaper ad to get in touch with a relative in New York who managed to get the whole family visas. In 1946, they made it to America, where Helga still lives today with her husband, three children, 12 grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.
Helga Luden’s journey was full of hardships and suffering, but it served as an eye-opening way to share her past experiences as a Holocaust survivor with Chappaqua’s community. Although she was forced to endure much cruelty, Helga still considers herself to be blessed with lots of mazel, the yiddish word for “luck.” After all, she managed to survive this atrocity, and reunite with many relatives along the way. As she explained to a mesmerized crowd: “Everything in life is meant to be.”
The members of the Chappaqua community who were lucky enough to witness this powerful speaker took away more than they might have possibly imagined from Helga’s story. Freshman Jared Saiontz remarks that the experience “inspired us to never give up.”
Not only did the event leave such an indelible impact on viewers, it also helped promote the ENOUCH club. Freshman Bailey Card says that listening to Helga’s powerful words “inspired [her] to get more involved with the ENOUGH Club. Also, [she] want[s] to try to learn more survivor stories and spread awareness about the anti-semitism that is happening currently and want to fight against that.”
The event was streamed online so that those unable to attend in person could also hear Helga’s remarks. One remote attendee was fellow Holocaust Survivor Paul Edelsberg who watched from his home in Chicago, Illinois. “I never tire of hearing the stories of other Survivors, as no two are alike,“ Mr. Edelsberg says. “I felt for the hardships she endured, but felt joy at the blessings that found her along the way, and that she was able to survive with both of her parents and other family members.” He agreed with Helga that “we must teach future generations about the stories from the Holocaust so they know what happened to us, and ask ‘why us?’ We must keep these stories alive, so this never happens again.”
This event was a powerful and exceptional way to share the reality of the Holocaust. The organizers agreed that the night was a success. “We’re very pleased with the event,” Saointz said. “We felt lucky that there was such a high turnout and know that Helga’s story will remain in the audience’s mind for years to come.”
The members of both the ENOUGH Club and the HHRC are already looking forward to planning next year’s event to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and hope to share another memorable story with the Chappaqua community.