On 18 August the yearly memorial service for the Jewish Community of Mir was held in the Nahalat Yitzhaq Cemetery, Tel Aviv. Ronen Slutzky, the new head of the Association presided over the meeting. Yisrael Shifron, the former head, was honored with a plaque for his major contributions over the last decades. The plaque is a beautiful silver plate engraved with the words:
"לזכור את העבר
לחיות את החווה
להאמין בעתיד"
אבא קובנר
אות הוקרה
לישראל שפרון
על פועלך הרב למען הנצחת יהדות מיר לדורותיה
חברי העמותה לזכר יהדות מיר
אוגוסט 2009
|
"To remember the past
To live the present
To believe in the future"
Abba Kovner
A Tribute to Yisrael Shifron for your hard work
in commemorating the Jewish Community of Mir and its descendants.
Members of the Association in memory of the Jewish Community of Mir
August 2009
Free English translation |
Yisrael Shifron gave a short speech in which he expressed his wishes that people will continue his work and produce some sort of permanent memorial. He explained that he has been in touch with the Yad Vashem Institution in hopes of having one placed there. Negotiations for the idea have begun, but nothing definite is decided.
The ceremony was photographed by a professional movie team and will probably be part of a larger work of commemoration on the Jewish Community of Mir. Three additional members of the “first generation” of “Mirers” also gave short presentations in which they shared their memories of the shtetl, the last days of the community and the escape from the castle/ghetto. Later, they were interviewed at some length concerning their experiences and it was announced that there is a plan for further, more in-depth interviews. These interviews were also put on movies.
