ZACHOR Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, founded by Holocaust survivor Ben Lesser, has announced its latest campaign, "Generation Now," which encourages Holocaust survivors to wear the Foundation's signature gold lapel pin with the Hebrew letters of the word "ZACHOR," meaning to "remember," as a symbol of honor to never forget the Holocaust.
Lesser was approached by a woman in 2008 who asked him about the lapel pin affixed to his jacket with the Hebrew letters ZACHOR. She was touched by the piece of jewelry carrying so much meaning and it encouraged Lesser to found the ZACHOR Foundation in 2009, with the goal to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and prevent a repeat of history through continued education and outreach.
The Foundation has since distributed over one million ZACHOR pins worldwide and it aims to distribute six million.
It is Lesser's hope that ZACHOR will be internationally recognized as a symbol of Holocaust remembrance.
The Foundation has a renewed sense of urgency as a result of ever-increasing antisemitism around the world and the understanding that the number of Holocaust survivors is dwindling. This has inspired Lesser to create the Generation Now campaign that urges the subsequent generations to the survivors to wear the pin proudly as a way of connecting to Jewish ancestors, and as a reminder not to allow the past to be repeated.
The pins are being offered free of charge for a limited time.
“The Generation Now campaign will ensure that the world always remembers the Holocaust even when there aren’t survivors like me physically present to share their stories,” said Lesser.
“My hope is that the ZACHOR pin serves as a daily reminder to spread love, not hate, and to remember the six million Jewish lives that were tragically taken."