Kimmelman to be remembered with state proclamation, tribute on Friday

Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally will present a state proclamation in honor of Mira Kimmelman on Friday, August 16. The presentation will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge.

Jinx Watson will receive the proclamation from McNally and give a tribute to Kimmelman as her longtime friend and fellow educator, a press release said.

Following the program will be a Friday night service and then a potluck meal, the press release said.

“The public is invited to attend this celebration of Mira and the community potluck following the service,” the release said.

Kimmelman died in April. She was a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to the United States in 1948 and moved to Oak Ridge in 1964 with her husband, Max, who also survived the Holocaust, and their two boys. Kimmelman was an author and community volunteer, and among other activities, she taught in and directed the religious school of the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge and served as president of the American Field Service from 1977-79 and as president of the United Nations Committee of Oak Ridge from 1979-82 and 1984-93. She lectured widely, both locally and nationally, in schools and to other groups, on her experiences in the Holocaust. In her two books, she recounted the story of her survival, hoping that remembering the horrors of the past would help ensure that no one would ever suffer such atrocities again.

Watson’s tribute to Mira is titled “Mira Kimmelman: Composing a Life, Part II”. Watson and Kimmelman traveled to visit the concentration camps together as part of a trip for teachers sponsored by “Facing History and Ourselves,” a nonprofit dedicated to teaching about hatred and bigotry. Their lives became interconnected, and in recent years, Watson was involved with the Holocaust Program that Kimmelman coordinated and the Interfaith Holocaust Class that is offered prior to the Program. Watson has helped foster a continuing and important partnership between the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge and the Oak Ridge Universalist Unitarian Church, the press release said.

The Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge Sisterhood, led by Rebecca Charles, is sponsoring this special Friday Night Shabbat and Potluck, the press release said.

“Everyone is encouraged to attend the potluck dinner following the service,” the release said. The meal is vegetarian or dairy foods only, and drinks will be provided.

If you have any questions or need additional information, you can send an email to [email protected].

This press release and photos were submitted by Rhonda Bogard.

 

More information will be added as it becomes available.

You can contact John Huotari, owner and publisher of Oak Ridge Today, at (865) 951-9692 or [email protected].

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