San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie to Speak at Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration as Antisemitism Hits Record Highs

Daughter of Founding Survivor William J. Lowenberg and Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman Join for Keynote Dialogue on “The Courage to Act”

San Francisco, CA | April 13, 2026 — Antisemitic incidents in the United States have surged 344% over the past five years, according to the ADL — the highest levels recorded in nearly half a century.

Against that backdrop, San Francisco will pause to remember and to ask what remembrance demands of us today.

The JFCS Holocaust Center and the JCCSF invite the Bay Area community to their annual Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) commemoration on April 13, 2026, honoring the six million Jewish people murdered in the Holocaust. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie will deliver opening remarks, reaffirming the city’s commitment to combating antisemitism and hate.

This year’s program centers on a keynote conversation, “The Courage to Act,” exploring how historical memory calls us not just to reflect, but to respond. Susan Lowenberg, daughter of Holocaust survivor and Holocaust Center founder William J. Lowenberg, will join San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman in a dialogue on leadership, moral responsibility, and legacy.

The conversation traces a direct line from the past to the present: it was the courage of Bill Lowenberg, fellow survivor Tauba Weiss, and then-Supervisor Dianne Feinstein that helped bring the JFCS Holocaust Center into existence. Their example anchors the evening’s urgent question: what does it mean to step up now?

EVENT DETAILS

What: Yom HaShoah — Holocaust Remembrance Day 2026
When: Monday, April 13, 2026 | 6:00 PM
Where: Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California St., San Francisco, CA
Registration: jfcs.org/yom-hashoah-2026

Members of the media are welcome to attend. Interviews with organizers and speakers may be arranged, with advance notice, between 5:30 – 5:45pm

Media Contact: Simone Miller | SimoneM@jfcs.org | 415-686-0490