Irvine proclaims Yom HaShoah after testimony from survivors and liberators

The Irvine City Council adopted a proclamation recognizing Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) and heard testimony from survivors, their descendants and local Jewish leaders at the April 22 meeting.

The proclamation, introduced by Councilmember Melinda Lew, was approved by a 6-0 roll-call vote. Councilmember Lew said she saw her role as “to connect residents, uplift the vulnerable, and provide a platform for understanding and education.”

Why it matters: Council members and speakers emphasized local survivors’ presence and urged vigilance against contemporary antisemitism. Multiple speakers connected remembrance to education and community protection.

The meeting included several extended survivor testimonies. A child survivor who identified herself as Zorica described losing 60 family members, growing up in orphanages and hiding during the war; she urged the community “to have courage, to stand up to hate.” Jerry Isaac Shapiro, senior director of the Rose Project at the Jewish Federation of Orange County, framed Yom HaShoah as remembrance of both victims and “heroes” and asked attendees to observe a moment of silence.

Rabbi Reuben Mintz (Chabad Center for Jewish Life and the Orange County Holocaust Education Center) and other speakers highlighted long‑running local educational work. Julie Marzouk, a trustee of the Jewish Federation of Orange County, said, “Silence is not neutrality. It is complicity. Never again is now.”

Public comment reflected both support and broader civic concerns. Several in-person commenters thanked the council and survivors and urged continued vigilance against antisemitism; one caller criticized perceived preferential recognition and urged the city not to prioritize any single community over others. Mayor and council members responded that the proclamations and the program do not replace recognition of other communities but are part of the city’s broader commitment to remembrance and tolerance.

Council action: The council voted 6-0 to adopt the proclamation recognizing Yom HaShoah and to invite community participation in the city’s commemorative programming. The city clerk reported six public commenters on the item (three in person, three via Zoom). The proclamation text describes Yom HaShoah as honoring the roughly 6,000,000 Jews murdered by the Nazi regime and its collaborators and aligns the commemoration with the 27th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar.

What’s next: Staff and community groups said library and museum education programs, digital resource expansion and summer events will accompany the transition. The council later proceeded with other agenda items.

Ending: Speakers and council members closed the item by emphasizing education and supporting local Holocaust survivors as living witnesses to history.