As I celebrate my Bar Mitzvah, I am also celebrating the Bar Mitzvah of Benjamin Pleban, son of Chaya and Shlomo Pleban. Benjamin (also my middle name) was born in Bialystok, Poland (where my father\\\\'s family was from). Benjamin and his parents were killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz in 1943 at the age of 11. He was never able to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah. In his memory, we will celebrate together. As the memory of the Shoah begins to fade, please help me support Yad Vashem to ensure that kids like me learn the lessons to prevent anything like this from happening again.I am excited to become a bar mitzvah and be counted for a minyan. For me, part of this process means taking responsibility for a meaningful project to advance our people. Growing up seeing pictures of my father\\\\\'s family who were killed in the Shoah made me sensitive to the painful lessons of World War 2 and the devastation to the Jewish people. Please join me to keep the memory of the Shoah alive and ensure that young adults my age will never forget.
