Holocaust survivors renew wedding vows after 70 years

This is another entry in the long list of events the Claims Conference has organized for survivors and their families in Israel and around the world.

Holocaust survivors renew their wedding vows after 70 years in a ceremony organized by the Claims Conference. (photo credit: Courtesy)
Holocaust survivors renew their wedding vows after 70 years in a ceremony organized by the Claims Conference.
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Married Holocaust survivors renewed their wedding vows on Monday night in a ceremony surrounded by friends and family.
The organization behind the ceremony, the Claims Conference, is the world's largest body for compensation and restoration of Holocaust survivors' assets. This was one of a long list of events the Conference has organized for survivors and their families in Israel and around the world.
Among the couples who participated in the touching ceremony were Boris and Rita Sachs, who met in Kiev. The two were married after the war ended in the presence of only a few surviving family members – most of their families were killed in camps. After the couple made aliyah, they had two sons, and today have grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Another couple participating in the event, Ira and Alex Friendland, first met at a dance club in the town of Komosomulk after surviving the war. The two have two children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The couples were congratulated and received well wishes by the Claims Conference vice president Shlomo Gur and the community's rabbi, Yigal Zippori.
Zippori, who has known the couples for years, thanked the Claims Conference and called them a source of inspiration for joy of life and optimism.