125 holocaust survivors who were honored at Temple Beth Emet in Broward County, home to one of the largest Holocaust survivor populations in the country. NBC6’s Daniela Cado reports
Every year on June 4, the world comes together for the day to celebrate Holocaust survivors and their bravery, resilience and strength during one of the darkest times in history.
On Wednesday, a tribute was held in Broward County for more than 100 local Holocaust survivors.
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WATCH HEREIzabella Markovskaya is one of 125 holocaust survivors who were honored at Temple Beth Emet in Broward County, home to one of the largest Holocaust survivor populations in the country.
Thirteen of those survivors were inducted into the Goodman Jewish Family Service 2025 Centenarian Club, which means they’ve reached the milestone of turning 100 or more years old.
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They all share the same, unforgettable dark period of their lives, and in history.
Markovskaya was born in Ukraine on the second day of World War II.
“My mother gave birth in the somewhere…under the roof…. I don't even know, and then we were running, we were trying to hide,” she said.
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Miriam Bek is 98 years old. She told NBC6 she recalls being 17 years old, living in the cusp of Romania and Hungary back in 1944 when the Nazis took her. In the span of a year, they deported her to 11 different concentration camps.
“Twenty-six of my immediate family didn’t return,” Bek said.
Bek never saw her mother again.
Her daughter Yenny Kertesz said even when she was little, her mom would share stories of survival.
“I didn't understand, much like nowadays,” Kertesz said. “People, they don't understand because it's something that, how can you believe that something like that could happen?”
Following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, and with antisemitism on the rise, Holocaust Survivor Day holds an even deeper meaning.
“My brothers, the second brother, they live in Israel, and they again, like my family, they again (go) through these things,” Markovskaya said with tears in her eyes.
Survivors say the responsibility of passing down their legacy and stories lies with all of us.
