Monroe Township Marks Holocaust Remembrance Day; Expresses Alarm About the Rise of Antisemitism in New Jersey
Mayor Dalina is an Outspoken Member of “Mayors United Against Antisemitism”
MONROE TOWNSHIP – April 21, 2023 – The Monroe Township Human Relations Commission hosted a remembrance ceremony on April 18 at the township library as part of the community’s participation in “Yom HaShoah,” or, in English, “Holocaust Remembrance Day.”
The remembrance event, coordinated by the Human Relations Commission and its many volunteers, included local Holocaust survivors who sat in the front row. Scheduled to speak were Rabbi Shmuel Polin, spiritual leader of Congregation Etz Chaim in Monroe, and Paul Beller of Monroe, who told of his escape from Austria when he was just eight years old.
Polin, whose grandfather was in a concentration camp, said the Nazis annihilated 35% of the Jewish population on the planet. “Our hearts still ache. Fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, children – all stolen,” the Rabbi said. “It is a wound that will never heal. And it is now up to my generation to speak up against ignorance and hatred. Holocaust education provides a steady voice in an unsteady world.”
“I’m one of the lucky guys who Hitler did not kill,” said Beller, 91, married for 66 years and a proud great-grandfather of eight. “He who hates is his worst enemy. And Hitler was his own worst enemy until his final days.”
In his opening remarks, Monroe Mayor Stephen Dalina, who was joined by members of the Township Council, noted that he can still vividly recall watching a television documentary about World War II and the Nazi regime as a boy.
“When they showed images from the Holocaust, I remember running into my parents’ room,” Dalina said. “I asked, `How can people act like that?’ It was a moment that has stuck with me my entire life. As someone who earned an undergraduate degree in history, I know the importance of how we need to learn from the past, and deal with such contemporary issues as antisemitism.”
Another survivor, Sol Lurie of Monroe, told of how he was sent to six concentration camps, including Auschwitz, before being liberated in 1945 at age 15. Lurie went on to serve in the U.S. military, taking the oath of citizenship in Berlin, where he was stationed during the Korean War.
“When I went back to Germany, I felt like a giant,” he said. “The Germans tried to annihilate me, but I came back as an American, as a conqueror. Becoming an American citizen in Berlin made me the proudest American you’ll ever find. God Bless America. I’ve survived to appreciate it.”
When Dalina was sworn in as mayor in January 2021, one of his first acts was to join “Mayors United Against Antisemitism.” There are 54 mayors in New Jersey that are part of a coalition of 700 nationwide, all declaring that antisemitism is incompatible with the democratic values that are the bedrock of American society.
“Many people in this room are aware that antisemitism is on the rise in our country and specifically here in New Jersey,” Dalina said. “According to data released last month by the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitic incidents rose 36% in New Jersey in 2022, reaching 408 total incidents – the most ever recorded in the state and the third–highest number recorded in any state across the country last year.”
“That is why we must continue to educate and speak out against antisemitism,” he added.
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All media inquiries may be directed to the Monroe Township’s Public Information Officer Stacey Kennedy at 732-521-4400 or