WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) – A Jewish congregation held a banquet on Thursday night at the Emanuel Synagogue in West Hartford to honor members of the community and raise money for those impacted by the war in Israel and Gaza.

Several members of the Jewish community were recognized at the Voices of Hope banquet.

Musicians Guy Mintus and Naama Nachum flew in from Israel last week to sing at the banquet to help raise money for those impacted by the war.

“There is a lot of pain and grief and trauma everywhere, it is a small country, so everyone knows someone that got hurt,” Mintus said.

“If we stick together and learn from each other about hope and about how to continue and about strength,” Nachum said.

Rabbi Philip Lazowski, who is a holocaust survivor, was a featured speaker at the event.

Lazowski survived the Holocaust because of his mother, who broke a window that allowed him to escape from the Nazis. He then lived in the woods for two years until World War II ended.

Lazoski shared his experiences with the younger generations to help them find hope through the current war. He and his three sons now speak about the Holocaust with the younger generations.

“To spread the importance of understanding what the Holocaust was and to teach the children and the grown-ups not to hate,” Lazowski said.

Gov. Ned Lamont also attended the event.

“Some people want to whitewash history, but you can’t learn from history if you whitewash history and that’s why we’re here tonight and that’s what Voices of Hope is all about,” Gov. Ned Lamont said.

Attendees recorded videos of Lazowski’s story to share with future generations.