Holocaust survivor joins menorah lighting ceremony in San Diego

Ben Midler believes in miracles — from the miracle of Hanukkah to the miracle of his survival.

“I’m not going to live in the past. I’m going to live for tomorrow,” the 97-year-old said. “My motto is, ‘Yesterday is gone. Today is today. And tomorrow will be a better day.'”

As a teenager, Midler survived six concentration camps, including Auschwitz. He clung to hope that his siblings might survive.

“That gave me the courage and strength to stay alive,” Midler said.

He was his family’s sole survivor.

Midler carries that strength and courage nearly eight decades later, as he faces increased antisemitism head on. He speaks to students and, at the menorah lighting on Monday, all San Diegans about the terrors he endured. He shows the numbers tattooed on his arm, a physical reminder that the horrors of the Holocaust are not just stories of the past.

He stood alongside county leaders from both sides of the aisle, and clergy from myriad religions, in a show of solidarity against antisemitism and hate more broadly.

“Hanukkah teaches us that light does not need permission to shine, and even a small flame can push it back against the incredible amount of darkness,” said San Diego County Assessor Jordan Marks, who organized the ceremony.

The shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Australia that killed 15 cast a shadow over the event, which is why Marks said it was necessary for the 6-foot menorah, which faced the iconic San Diego Bay, to shine even brighter.

“We are committing to carry this light beyond the holiday and stand unwaveringly against antisemitism and all hate,” Marks said.