WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Emanuel Synagogue in West Hartford observed Holocaust Remembrance Day Sunday in a special ceremony that honored both survivors and those who were lost.

The event, sponsored by Voices of Hope, gave the community an opportunity to talk about the 6 million Jewish victims — and how to prevent future genocides.

For Jeff Israel, a board member of Voices of Hope, it was a chance to tell his family’s story of enduring concentration camps and the Kristallnacht.

Both of his parents survived.

“[My father is] the only Israel that survived out of his 13 cousins, his mom, his dad,” Israel said.