OKC Holocaust Remembrance event to focus on World War II soldiers 'The Ritchie Boys'

A group of American soldiers who served during World War II will be the focus of the Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Program set for 2 p.m. Sunday, May 5, at Bishop McGuinness High School, 801 NW 50.

The event is hosted each year by the Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City to commemorate Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins at sundown Sunday and ends at sundown on Monday, May 6.

Rachel Johnson, executive director of the Jewish Federation, said "Ritchie Boys” is a term used to described American soldiers who trained at Camp Ritchie during World War II. She said military instructors at Camp Ritchie taught intelligence-gathering collections and analysis to about 20,000 soldiers, and 300 of them were from Oklahoma.

Johnson said several thousand of these soldiers were Jewish refugees who had immigrated to the United States from Europe to escape Nazi persecution and the Jewish Federation learned through its research that six of these Jewish soldiers were from Oklahoma.

A 2004 film "The Ritchie Boys," written and directed by Christian Bauer, highlights some of the soldiers' experiences.

Johnson said the son of a Ritchie Boy will be a guest speaker at the Oklahoma City event. Also, some of the soldiers' stories will be featured.

More: Story of 'everyday heroes' of Albania told at OKC Holocaust Remembrance Day event

The annual Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Program, which includes a candlelighting ceremony, often shines a spotlight on a particular aspect or individuals tied to the Holocaust. Last year, the Oklahoma City program focused on Albanians who assisted Jews during World War II.

"There are so many stories to tell," Johnson said. "I think we could tell a story every year and you still would have more that were untold."

This program is free to attend, but pre-registration is required. To register or for more information, go to https://www.jfedokc.org/.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Holocaust Remembrance program set for Sunday at Bishop McGuinness