“Club 2600” Raises Spirits of Elderly Holocaust Survivors

BROOKLYN — They endured the most horrifying persecutions imaginable…witnessed the murder of family and friends by their Nazi oppressors…yet somehow they managed to survive the Holocaust that had destroyed their world, emigrating to America to raise families and build a promising new world for themselves.

Once a month, approximately 150 of these Jewish Holocaust survivors – now senior citizens living in various parts of Brooklyn – come to the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island’s (JCCGCI’s) “Jay-Harama Senior Center” to spend a couple of hours with their peers. “Club 2600” – named for the center’s address, 2600 Ocean Avenue, and funded by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany – gives its members the opportunity to bond with friends both old and new as they celebrate life while holding on to the memories of what they have lost.

“These gatherings are precious to the Club 2600 members,” explains Risa Erps, Director of the Jay – Harama Senior Center, who runs the program together with her assistants Evelyn Eissenberg and Ellie Jacuby. “They’re able to relax and have an enjoyable afternoon talking to fellow survivors in an uplifting atmosphere.” In addition to eating a gala full-course meal in the center’s spacious dining room, the elderly survivors sing and dance along with the live music of a one-man band, discuss topics of mutual interest with each other as well as with staff members, including trained social workers and social work interns, commemorate Jewish holidays, and partake in a raffle. According to Erps, anyone who lived under Nazi rule is eligible to join the club, and the members come from a wide range of neighborhoods, including Brighton Beach, Coney Island, Flatbush, Borough Park, Sheepshead Bay, Mill Basin and Canarsie.

The survivors’ emotions were readily visible at the Club 2600 event held in late April, which featured a poignant Yom Hashoah ceremony. As survivor John Ranz provided narration, six members were called up one at a time to each light a candle signifying a specific category of Holocaust victims, such as children and resistance fighters, to symbolize the total of six million. Following another club member’s recitation of the special Kaddish mourner’s prayer, everyone in the room fervently sang HaTikvah, the Israeli National Anthem, and G-d Bless America. Addressing the gathering, Rabbi Moshe Wiener, Executive Director, JCCGCI, evoked the memories of prominent rabbinical leaders who had survived and overcome the devastation of the Holocaust and gone on to rebuild their religious communities. “The self-sacrifice and courage of your extraordinary lives are the traits that define the Jewish people,” Rabbi Wiener stated.

“As the population of Holocaust survivors continues to age and dwindle, we have a responsibility to listen to their stories and preserve their legacy,” Rabbi Wiener commented after the event. “The Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island reaffirms its commitment to ensuring their well-being and social viability through programs such as Club 2600, along with our wide range of supportive services assisting the Holocaust survivor population, including homecare, medical-related transportation, nutrition, care management and homebound visitation (“Connect2”).”

Holocaust survivors interested in joining Club 2600 should call Risa Erps, Director, Jay-Harama Senior Center, at (718) 891-1110.

For information about JCCGCI’s other supportive services for Holocaust survivors, please call 718-449-5000.

All services are offered free of charge.