Israeli Students Keep Holocaust Stories Alive in Living Rooms

Fifteen years ago, Adi Altschuler walked home from a Holocaust memorial ceremony in Tel Aviv and noticed something troubling. Young people around her were watching basketball instead of remembering history, and she realized the survivors who could share their stories wouldn't be around much longer.

She started inviting friends and neighbors to her family's home to meet Holocaust survivors face to face. Those small gatherings became Zikaron BaSalon, an organization that now hosts intimate salon discussions in living rooms across 66 countries.

The idea is beautifully simple. Instead of large ceremonies, people gather in groups of 15 or 20 to hear a survivor tell their story, then discuss what those experiences mean today. Over the past year alone, more than 2 million people participated in these conversations.

But the challenge Altschuler worried about 15 years ago is now urgent. With fewer survivors able to share their experiences, the organization is training family members and volunteers to keep the stories alive.

Why This Inspires

Nitzan Gleizer hosts salons in her Tel Aviv apartment where she plays recordings of her grandfather Zvi Solar describing how he survived by hiding in Slovakian forests. Soldiers from a nearby base often attend, and they connect his story to recent attacks on Israeli kibbutzim.

But Gleizer doesn't stop at the trauma. She makes sure to tell guests how her grandfather rebuilt his life after the war, immigrated to Israel, built a career with El Al airlines, and raised a family. "It helps people realize that we can rise again, too," she said.

The approach is spreading to new contexts. Shir Segal, whose parents were kidnapped and later released by Hamas, spoke about how hostage families are learning from Holocaust survivors that telling their full stories is crucial for healing. Her mother recently published a book about her captivity.

In Germany, salon leader Shai Levi brought together an unexpected mix. Holocaust survivors who fled Ukraine's recent war met with Israelis who survived attacks on border communities. For some of the elderly Ukrainian survivors, it was the first time they had ever shared their Holocaust experiences.

Rather than fading after October 7, 2023, interest in the salons has actually grown. "People want to come together and draw strength from one another," said Noam Yosefi, the organization's volunteer director.

The organization is exploring creative approaches to keep the mission alive. They've invited public figures like actress Noa Koler, whose television series weaves Holocaust memory into contemporary stories, to show how artistic expression can make history feel relevant to younger generations.

What started as one student's concern about forgetting has become a powerful reminder that the most important stories are best told person to person, in the warmth of someone's living room.