Howard County Yom HaShoah commemoration aims to ensure Holocaust history is not forgotten

Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, is one of the most important days for Jewish communities worldwide.

In Howard County, Temple Isaiah is hosting an event for the occasion, marking 80 years since the concentration camps were liberated.

Two Maryland men -- Steve Salzberg and Steve  DiBiagio -- are sharing their story for the Yom HaShoah event at Temple Isaiah on Wednesday. The event begins at 7 p.m.

The event is put on by the Howard County Holocaust Remembrance Committee and the Howard County Board of Jewish Clergy.

"Your father liberated my father"

Like many Jewish Americans, Steve Salzberg has had family members live through the Holocaust.

He lost some, like his grandfather, but his father survived.

"He came to this country and established a wonderful life for himself," Salzberg said.

Years ago, Salzberg attended and spoke at a Holocaust remembrance event at The John Carroll School in Harford County.

That's when he heard how Steve DiBiagio, the school's president, was one of the soldiers who liberated those at the Hannover-Ahlem concentration camp.

That's the same camp Salzberg's father was held in. When DiBiagio finished, Salzberg went to ask a question.

"I never heard anyone else mention [that concentration camp]. My question [to DiBiagio] was more of a statement, 'I just realized your father liberated my father,'" Salzberg said.

The two hugged and cried. DiBiagio said you could hear a pin drop in the room in that moment.

"We were experiencing something 80 years in the past, but it was present in that moment for us," DiBiagio said. "It will be for as long as we're around to share that experience."

Salzberg and DiBiagio have become good friends since realizing their shared history, and it's something they'll share for years to come.

"We have a responsibility to share the story, tell the story, as long as we're able," DiBiagio said.

Keeping history accurate

Rita Cohen and Larry Cohen, members of the Howard County Holocaust Remembrance Committee, say these events are critical to ensure history isn't forgotten.

"There are very few survivors left, and it's kinda up to people like me, people like my husband, people that are connected somehow, to continue the story," Rita Cohen said. "If there's no witness, the story can change, and it's already happening."

Larry Cohen said the story's already changing, making events like this even more important.

"There are people who say it didn't happen," he said. "That's wrong, that's disastrous. The fact is it did happen, and we can't let history change."