A memorial site in commemoration of
Samuel (Sally) Bein, a distinguished Jewish German educator who perished in the Holocaust together with his students, was inaugurated in the
Forest of the Martyrs in Jerusalem, at a ceremony held jointly by KKL-JNF, Friends of JNF-KKL Germany and B'nai B'rith International.
In 1908, in the German township of Beelitz, Bein founded the first boarding school for Jewish children with special needs; in June 1942, the Nazis deported him to the Sobibor death camp, together with his wife, their daughter and forty-seven pupils and staff members. All of them perished.
“He was a hero in an abnormal world, a source of light in a world of darkness,” said KKL-JNF Co-Chairman
David Etzioni. “In both life and death he served as an example to his pupils, and he walked by their side right until the bitter end. Inscribing their names in the forest adds another tier to the history of our nation, which remembers its past and recalls it for the benefit of the generations to come.”
KKL-JNF and B’nai B’rith began planting The Forest of the Martyrs in 1951, with Germany participating in the initial plantings. The forest with its 6 million trees was one of the first sites in the State of Israel to perpetuate the memory of those who died in the Holocaust.
“It’s only natural that B'nai B'rith should be involved in planting this memorial forest, as its members were among the Nazis’ earliest targets,” said
Alan Schneider, director of the B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem.
Schneider read out letters of support from German representatives
Dr. Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and
Ralph Hofmann, president of B'nai B'rith in Frankfurt. “Bein has a unique place in history, and it is important that he be remembered in Israel,” they wrote.
“Life for Jews in Germany was never easy, and we can only imagine the obstacles that confronted children with special needs,” said Ralph Hofmann, in his letter. “Sally and his wife Rebeka did not desert the children, but chose to accompany them on their final journey.”
As the memorial ceremony took place during the global COVID-19 pandemic, it was conducted according to Israeli Ministry of Health directives. All participants wore masks and observed social distancing restrictions. Musical duo
Shir Levin and
Osher Benisou from the Eldad High School in Netanya touched the hearts of those present with their singing.
Writer and journalist
Lihi Lapid, who has a daughter on the autism spectrum, spoke on behalf of parents of children with special needs. “We shall never be able to understand the depth of the deathly fear and sense of helplessness when faced with hatred and heartlessness. In the midst of all this, one man recognized his responsibility to the children whilst others were busy taking care of themselves and their families. One can move forward without walking and dream without words, and Sally Bein knew that. He, his wife and his daughter sacrificed their lives for the sake of the children.”
KKL-JNF has
restored the iconic Scroll of Fire Memorial in Martyrs Forest, and, with the support of its Friends in Germany, it has rendered the site accessible to people with physical limitations.
Sally Bein’s story was unearthed thanks to research conducted by
Ronny Dotan, who had contacted the families of the former pupils and staff at the boarding school. Dotan, who initiated the memorial, said, “Today’s memorial ceremony ratifies not only the courage of this devoted educator but also the necessity that stories of this kind not be forgotten. We shall do everything we can to preserve their memory.”
“Sally Bein and his wife were distinguished educators, but the greatest educators of all are the children with special needs, those whose voices remain unheard,” said Major-General (res.) Doron Almog, who today is chairman of the ALEH Negev-Nahalat Eran Rehabilitation Village. “The children teach us to remain humble and support one another. My greatest teacher is my son Eran, who has not been with us for thirteen years now.”
Shay Cucuy, who represented the families of the boarding school children, spoke of his personal experience. His mother had never spoken of her brother, a child with special needs who lived at the boarding school. “I discovered an amazing and moving story of which I had known nothing,” he told his listeners.
Anat Zakkai, whose son has special needs, spoke of her grandfather’s brother, who was one of the children at the boarding school. “It’s important to me to be here today for my grandfather, for my son Boaz and for all children in the world who enrich our lives,” she said.
Ami Raz, representing the AKIM organization for children with intellectual disabilities, spoke about Bein’s educational methods. “Apart from his heroism and sacrifice, he also pioneered a therapeutic approach that regards these children as complete human beings and sets goals for their integration into society,” he said.
Eighty-four-year-old Ezra Alish, a relative of Rebeka Bein, was also present at the ceremony. “At home we didn’t talk about Sally and Rebeka, nor did we mention the Holocaust very much. It’s heartbreaking to come here and hear the stories people have to tell.”
The names inscribed in stone are very important, but instilling their legacy in the younger generation is even more so important, said KKL-JNF Co-Chairman David Etzioni. “With the help of extensive activities and technological aids, we shall continue to make the forest an educational source of knowledge about the Holocaust, and we shall continue to render it accessible to children and youth with special needs. It is our duty as human beings to remember the victims of the Holocaust. It is thanks to them and to heroes like Samuel (Sally) Bein that we have the privilege of standing here today, in our own country.”