YOUNGSTOWN — The millions of children who lost their lives during the Holocaust can be compared to what would happen if the populations of Cleveland, Columbus and Youngstown all disappeared, according to one speaker at Sunday’s annual Shoah Memorial event.

The Holocaust commemoration at the Jewish Community Center was hosted by the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation. A program also took place Tuesday in the rotunda of the Mahoning County Courthouse.

The children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors lit candles Sunday in memory of their loved ones who have since died.

Mark Cole, executive director of the Holocaust and Genocide Education Network and professor of history at Cleveland State University, discussed children from the Holocaust and focused on one teenager, Dawid Sierakowiak of Poland, who, like the more well-known Anne Frank, wrote a diary of his life before he died at the hands of the Nazis.

“There were 6 million who died during the Holocaust. I want to personalize the experience of one child’s life to have a deep impact and multiply that by six million and make it easier for people to comprehend what happened to all these children,” Cole said.

Cole said quite often, Anne Frank, who died at age 15 in 1945, is the only teenage victim they are aware of. He said Sierakowiak died in 1943 at age 19. Sierakowiak turned 15 two months before Nazi Germany invaded Poland.

Cole said in his diary, Sierakowiak, who spoke several languages in addition to Polish, wrote of his hopes and dreams “that were extinquished far too early.

“His words came to us from a diary from June 1939 to April 1943. The pile of five notebooks that consisted of his diary were found sitting on a stove and were destined to be kindling. There are similarities and differences between his diary and Anne Frank’s. Both were destined to do great things had they not been murdered by the Nazis. Each diary is useful in their own way, There are different insights. Dawid’s diary records in agonizing detail the slow tortuous demise of an individual and a family in a ghetto. It gives us daily observations from a teenager’s view,” Cole said.

He said Sierakowiak’s diary writings are important because they are a powerful account of the Holocaust from what a teenager and his family saw and faced.

RECORDING STORIES

Jesse McClain, Holocaust education specialist, said the Jewish Community Relations Council in partnership with the Mahoning Valley Historical Society, has worked to preserve the history of the Holocaust through digitized audio and video recordings of Holocaust survivors. He said thousands of hours of cassette tapes and 8-mm films have been digitized.

“A totally unfathomable number of 1.5 million children were murdered during the Holocaust. It would be if the entire population of Columbus, Cleveland and Youngstown disappeared. The story of the children was particularly tragic. Very few children managed to hide or survive,” McClain said.

He said only 10 percent of the children survived, while 33 percent of adults survived.

Rabbi Seth Sternstein of Temple El Emeth said, “One thing I know for sure. All of us are survivors even if we did not personally go through the Holocaust. If you look at your family further out, you will find that connection to the Holocaust.”

Rabbi Joseph Schonberger said anti-semitism continues to occur today, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation reporting many hate crimes targeting Jews, even though they represent a small portion of the population in the United States.

He said millions of Jews were tortured during the Holocaust.

“Remembering the Holocaust is essential to open eyes and questions about the priorities of life. What kind of a world do you want? What kind of a person do you choose to be? What are you willing to do about it? Evil challenges every generation. The quality of the present and the future is determined by the courage and wisdom, values and motivations that people choose to apply,” Schonbeger said.

Robert Rawl of Liberty said he lost relatives at Auschwitz, and it is difficult to remember and contemplate the mass murder of 6 million.

Bonnie Burdman, director of community relations / government affairs at the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation, said Yom Hashoah is the equivalent of America’s Memorial Day.

“It is a time of remembrance for all of us for those who we have lost. Starting this week, we also will begin celebrating Israel’s 75th anniversary. Through a time of turmoil does come triumph,” Burdman said.

Burdman said on May 21 will be a celebration of Israel’s 75th with a daylong event featuring the Jewish Community Center being turned into Israel.

Contest winners

The 30th annual Holocaust writing, art and multimedia contest sponsored by the Jewish Comunity Relations Council was for students in seventh to 12th grades. The theme was “Stars without a Heaven: Children in the Holocaust.” Winners were:

• Poetry grades 7-8 — Vincent Michael Detamore, Akiva Academy, first; Tamar Sigler, Akiva Academy, second; and Aubree Kephart, Austintown Middle School, third.

• Essay grades 7-8 — Christopher Geradi, Austintown Middle School, first; Juliana Carroll, Austintown Middle School, second; and Charlotte Ward, Austintown Middle School, third.

• Art grades 7-8 — Isabelle Culver, Akiva Academy, first; Ronnie Carnahan, Austintown Middle School, second; and Evan Hall, Austintown Middle School, third.

• Poetry grades 9-10 — Savannah Moorman, Boardman High School, first; Mary Ramoves, Boardman High School, second; and Tessa Ross, Boardman High School, third.

• Essay grades 9-10 — Dominic Theodore, Boardman High School, first; Grant Parker, Boardman High School, second; and Lauren Swantek, Boardman High School, third.

• Art grades 9-10 — Lanie Jouce, Boardman High School, first; Michah Bukovac, Boardman High School, second; and Linda Vo, Boardman High School, third.

• Poetry grades 11-12– Olivia Maldonado, Boardman High School, first; Shaelan Williams, Boardman High School, second; and Emily Davano, West Middlesex High School, third.

• Essay 11-12 — Alexia Beadle, Boardman High School, first; Luke Schneider, West Middlesex High School, second; and Caitlin Stephens, West Middlesex High School, third.

• Art grades 11-12 — Emma Mild, West Middlesex, Pa., High School, first; Olivia Gatewood, West Middlesex High School, second; and Delaney Donaldson, West Middlesex, third.