Holocaust survivor honored by Assemblyman Garcia
A Cathedral City resident who narrowly escaped Nazi Germany during the Holocaust was honored Friday in Rancho Mirage.
Jerry Gerhard Moses was born in 1934 in Breslau, Germany, and was only a child when his family was ordered to be sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, according to the office of Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella.
A week before they were to be imprisoned, his family fled and sought asylum in China, where they remained for the duration of World War II, according to the assemblyman.
Garcia recognized Moses at an 11 a.m. ceremony at the Tolerance Education Center, which was established by a Holocaust survivor.
“Amid the last generation of Holocaust survivors, we must do everything possible to preserve these stories so that the world never forgets this harrowing chapter of history,” Garcia said in a statement. “Jerry’s reflections place in focus the increasing importance of instilling tolerance, acceptance and respect within future generations. These lessons are still very much relevant in today’s word as we endeavor to dispel hate.”
The Tolerance Education Center was established in 2006 and opened its doors to the public in 2009. Its mission “is to promote tolerance, civility, respect and understanding by the elimination of atrocities, hatred and bigotry,” according to its website.
