Yom HaShoah: Community Holocaust Commemoration
Heroes Beyond Borders: Stories of Diplomatic Courage
Sunday, April 12, 2026, 1PM
Free event, pre-registration required.
Venue location and address provided upon registration.
It has been over 80 years since the closing days of World War II and the Holocaust. As we look back, we are reminded of those who took extraordinary actions to help Jews escape the advancing Nazi regime. Recognized as the Righteous Among the Nations, these non-Jews risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. Many of these righteous heroes were diplomats who saw the terrible fate befalling Jews in Germany and occupied Europe and used their unique positions to help Jews escape.
This year’s Yom HaShoah: Community Holocaust Commemoration, hosted in partnership Jewish Federation of San Diego, Jewish Community Foundation San Diego, and the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, will highlight Heroes Beyond Borders: Stories of Diplomatic Courage, while remembering the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and honoring those who survived.
Our two keynote speakers will share their families’ incredible stories – one a descendant of a diplomat whose efforts to help Jews escape Europe and Nazi persecution saved thousands of lives, the other a descendant of a family saved by such a diplomat from the other side of the world.
Jason Abranches
Jason Abranches is the great-grandson of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese General Consul in 1940 who defied his own government’s orders to remain neutral in the Holocaust by signing over 30,000 visas to refugee families fleeing the Nazi invasion in France. As a result of his great-grandfather’s actions, thousands were saved at the cost of his family’s livelihood and many of the children (including Jason’s grandfather John Paul Abranches) fled abroad in search of a new chance of a dignified life, which John Paul eventually found in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Generations later, the Sousa Mendes family is still working to restore Aristides’ legacy – he is now internationally recognized as a true hero and champion of humanity, instead of a forgotten “traitor” blacklisted by António de Oliveira Salazar, the dictator of Portugal from 1932-1968.
Jason now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he has just opened a small restaurant and loves being an active member of his community. Over the past 10 years he has worked in healthcare, as an international sailor, and as a sound engineer for well-known artists. He participated in the inaugural opening of Museu Aristides de Sousa Mendes, a national museum built within the old family home Casa do Passal, honoring the entire Sousa Mendes family, their brave actions, and the sacrifices that have been made by the family since those fatefully harrowing days in 1940.
Arturo Levin
Arturo Levin, a real estate broker and investor, was born in Mexico City and has been living in San Diego since 1988.
His mother, while born in Mexico, traveled with her mother to their ancestral hometown in Lithuania on the eve of war. While visiting, the Nazi invasion began, placing them in immediate and mortal peril. Desperate to escape, they sought the assistance of the Japanese Consul General in Kaunas, Chiune Sugihara. In a courageous act of defiance against his own government, Sugihara issued the family life-saving transit visas required to flee.
The full magnitude of the family’s survival only came to light years later. While cataloging his grandmother’s estate, Arturo discovered her expired passports and original documents. These artifacts, paired with the historical context provided by a documentary on Sugihara, confirmed that his family was among the 6,000+ “Sugihara Survivors” saved by the “Sempo” visas issued at the risk of the Consul’s own career.
Join us for this powerful afternoon of remembrance and commemoration.
Free event, pre-registration required.
Event Safety & Security Guidelines
As this program takes place during regular JCC operating hours, members and guests may be entering the building for other activities. The following guidelines apply specifically to entry into the event space.
Restricted Items (Not Permitted Inside the Event):
- Bags of any kind (crossbody, backpacks, totes, etc.), except as noted below
- Outside food or beverages, including alcohol
- Glass, cans, or aluminum bottles
- Water bottles (water will be available onsite)
- Signs, banners, or flags
- Weapons of any kind, regardless of CCW status
- Pets
- Laser pens
- Selfie sticks
- Video cameras or recording devices
- Camera bags, large cameras, or telephoto lenses
- Flash photography
- Drugs or illicit substances
- Smoking or vaping
- Unauthorized or unlicensed vending, soliciting, handbills, sampling, or giveaways
Permitted Bags (Event Entry Only):
- Single-compartment clear plastic bags up to 12″ x 6″ x 12″
- Infant or medically necessary bags
There will be security screening at the event entrance(s), including wanding for all attendees entering the program space.
Security reserves the right to search bags, conduct pat-down checks, and refuse or revoke entry at their discretion for intoxication, disruptive behavior, noncompliance, threats of violence, or any conduct that compromises the safety and comfort of our community.
