DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE; SERVICE IN BURBANK WILL HONOR HOLOCAUST VICTIMS.

Byline: Holly J. Andres Daily News Staff Writer

Remembrance of the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust and the hope for a more tolerant future will be the twin themes during a communitywide commemorative service in Burbank on Tuesday evening.

The First Presbyterian Church of Burbank will host the 11th annual Days of Remembrance event which is co-sponsored by the Burbank Human Relations Council and 19 local churches and temples.

The historical precedence for this commemoration is when Israel set aside the 27th day of the Jewish month of Nisan as Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, in 1951.

Since then, it has been common for temples to plan special services to remember the victims of the Holocaust as well as other peoples who have perished in ethnic strife in various parts of the world.

The Rev. William Craig of First Presbyterian took the unusual step for a Christian institution in wanting his congregation to take part in the annual Jewish commemoration in some way.

``In 1990, from a request of the church board at First Presbyterian, I approached Rabbi Mervin Tomsky of Temple Emanuel to see if our congregation could join his in a remembrance service. Their temple board agreed. But they also said why couldn't we open it up to the community?'' said Craig, pastor at First Presbyterian for 20 years.

Previous observances in Burbank were held in other public places before 1990. The first event involving interfaith groups was held in 1990. The program, held at different locations each year, changes in content annually and has been continually refined.

``The first year we put up posters of pictures from the internment camps. We felt it was too heavy for the service, so we haven't done that since,'' Craig said.

Reflecting on the Holocaust, Craig commented, ``This was a horrendous event in world history. It affected us all. I felt strongly that I wanted to join with my Jewish brothers and sisters. I wanted to say to them that we stand together and that this most evil horror ever perpetrated on humankind will never happen again.''

The program at the 110-year-old church will include hopeful messages on the themes of racism and tolerance from local schoolchildren. Four students from Burbank High School, John Muir Middle School and Luther Burbank Middle School will read their winning essays, which they wrote in conjunction with a required study on the Holocaust in their schools.

Holocaust survivors and their grandchildren will light seven candles in a memorial ceremony. Six candles will be lit representing the 6 million Jews who were murdered. The seventh candle will be lit in memory of the extermination and ethnic purging of other peoples around the world.

Ministers, priests and rabbis from the community will offer prayers of dedication. Rabbi Tomsky will lead the gathering in the traditional Jewish mourner's prayer, the kaddish.

Craig credited Sylvia Sutton, the coordinator of the event for the Burbank Human Relations Council, for putting in many hours to pull the whole program together this year.

``I've been involved in the yearly planning for six years,'' said Sutton, who is a member of Temple Beth Emet in Burbank. The Burbank Human Relations Council originally had the idea for the Days of Remembrance. This year there will also be a Burbank City Council presentation earlier that evening with Mayor Bob Kramer proclaiming the day as the local observance of the Holocaust.

``It's my hope,'' said Craig, ``that the people who come to the program will go away with the conviction that God is calling each one of us to stand against racism and intolerance. We need to take a stand.''

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PHOTO From left, Elissa Singer, Sylvia Sutton and Adrianne Tarazon will take part in Days of Remembrance.

Bob Halvorsen/Daily News