Dear Tikuners from the Greatest Generation,

I would like to address you as Tikuners and not as Holocaust Survivors, because titles matter. I know that you have carried that label, that distinction, through the best years of your life. The ones that followed the worst ones, the ones you endured, where you survived the most horrible atrocities that humankind has ever seen.

I know that you have spoken, used your voice, written down your testimonies, and given countless interviews, when it would have been easier to stay quiet, to protect your soul and your mental health. However, you knew this wasn’t just about you. You did it for a greater purpose: so that the next generations won’t forget, and won’t allow this to happen, NEVER AGAIN, to any group of people.

I am a 3G. A “Third Generation,” a granddaughter of two Holocaust survivors: Musha Horenkkrig Z”L and Andrés Abraham Apeloig Z”L. I grew up knowing about the Holocaust not as something from movies or books, but as something that happened to my own family. My grandparents didn’t speak much about their experiences, although thank G-d they left their testimonies in writing.

I grew up with a constant message: “You are the last generation that will get to know survivors face-to-face; you have the enormous responsibility to carry that torch for the next generations.” Three decades later, my grandparents are no longer in this physical realm, but thank God, I had the blessing of having them close to me for 25 and 35 years of my life.

I’ve also had the opportunity to know, interact with, and even interview many survivors and Tikuners who have shared their life lessons. I have had the privilege of asking them how they rebuilt their lives, found purpose, and their Tikun. I have shared these testimonies and teachings with the world through my series Tutoriales de Vida.

Today, on Yom Hashoah, a day that I have spent decades of my life honoring and remembering, with the song “Eli Eli” as a constant soundtrack, while looking at painful images and listening to testimonies, I want to shake things up just a little.

I want to celebrate that, although we have been told for years that time is running out, we still have more than 196,000 Holocaust survivors alive today. We are aware of this, we are grateful, and we have a whole new generation: the 4Gs, making the most of your presence and your willingness to keep sharing.

You are the Greatest Generation. You are superhumans, truly extraordinary. That Jewish resilience that we speak about so often, you are its purest source.

Our parents, the Baby Boomers, the 2Gs, were fortunate to be born into a world where Medinat Israel was already a reality. They raised us, the 3Gs, with a deep and strong Jewish pride.

We, the Gen X and Millennials, experienced a world where antisemitism existed. Of course, we were aware of it, but we did not face it as a direct threat.

Today, we are raising our children, the 4Gs, in a world where Jew hatred has once again become real, tangible, and direct, both in the online sphere and in real life.

This Yom Hashoah 2026, in a post-October 7th world, where antisemitism continues to rise and at times feels reminiscent of Eastern Europe in the 1930s, I would like to honor you and tell you:

WE GOT YOU. WE GOT THIS.

We are on the frontlines, both in the physical and in the digital arenas. Our Israeli brothers and sisters in the IDF, together with brave Jews from the Diaspora who step forward to serve, are fighting the physical battle. 

And we are strong on both fronts. 

Those of us engaged in the narrative and digital space know that legacy media has long been shaped by complex and corrupt interests, and that social media algorithms aren’t our best friends either. 

And yet, we keep going. 

We keep telling the truth, educating, and refusing to let our moral compass be distorted. We keep repairing narratives and confronting hate, one piece of content, one message, one video, one conversation at a time.

I want you to know that I, as a borderline Millennial with a strong Gen X influence, together with an incredible network of 3Gs, content creators, educators, professionals, Jewish leaders at The Voice of the People, and countless exemplary organizations, have joined forces. And WE GOT THIS. 

We are leading with Tikun. We are sometimes frustrated, tired, and even afraid, but we are also empowered, grounded in purpose, and deeply resilient. We have inherited your resilience, and we will always be inspired by it. If you were able to survive World War II, we will face and overcome these complex times as well. We will never stop speaking, defending our people and our values. We will always keep showing up and telling your stories, passing them Mi Dor le Dor.

There are many differences among us, mostly shaped by how we relate to technology: Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and those who will be using AI even before they learn how to walk and talk. We are diverse in age, culture, language, race, levels of religiosity, and political perspectives. And yet, we are choosing to work together: without uniformity, but in unity. Because we know we share a vision and a future that binds us beyond our differences: to continue living and thriving as proud Jews, in Israel and in the Diaspora. We know what happened in the Shoah and why it happened. We carry those wounds, and, inspired by you, we have transformed them into strength and purpose.

Thank you for giving us your legacy, your strength, and the ability to repair. To be Tikuners. We will never forget. We will keep thriving. And we are not going anywhere.

Am Israel Chai.

Deborah Apeloig
Founder, Tikun Talks

Please share this letter and read it out loud to a Holocaust survivor today.