Holocaust survivor Edith Frankie, shown with family members, will participate in a discussion on June 24 sponsored by Holocaust Museum Los Angeles. (photo courtesy of Holocaust Museum Los Angeles)

Holocaust Museum Los Angeles, the first survivor-founded and oldest Holocaust museum in the United States, will unite with organizations around the world in recognition of the first Holocaust Survivor Day on Thursday, June 24.

Holocaust Survivor Day will be observed annually on June 26, but since that date is on a Saturday in 2021, this year’s observance will be held June 24. Spearheaded by Jewish Community Centre of Krakow, Holocaust Survivor Day unites Holocaust Museum Los Angeles with the World Jewish Congress, USC Shoah Foundation, Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation, Ronald S. Lauder Foundation and Museum of Jewish Heritage.

In honor of Holocaust Survivor Day, Holocaust Museum Los Angeles will present a program featuring Harry Davids, Lya Frank and Edith Frankie, members of the museum’s survivor community. They will share their remarkable stories of survival as well as what motivates them to continue to speak out against bigotry, hatred and antisemitism. This virtual program will take place on June 24, at 11 a.m., via Zoom. To register, visit us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HUYPCzJOQJyzCb8JpESwpQ.

Holocaust Survivor Day was conceived by Michael Berenbaum, noted Holocaust scholar and director of the Sigi Ziering Institute at the American Jewish University, and Jonathan Ornstein, executive director of JCC Krakow.

The date of June 26 was selected in recognition of Auschwitz survivor Marian Turski’s birthday. Turski is a historian and journalist and is considered the moral conscience of Poland’s Jewish community.

“One of the main missions of our museum is to honor the survivors,” said Beth Kean, CEO of Holocaust Museum Los Angeles. “They represent the best of the human spirit, and there is so much we can learn from them. It is fitting to honor them with a day of recognition.”

For information, visit holocaustmuseumla.org/event-details/holocaust-survivor-talk-holocaust-survivor-day.