TORONTO — There is a new project in Toronto that offers young Jewish professionals an opportunity to take a more active approach in honouring Holocaust survivors and preserving their memories.

iVolunteer, an initiative officially launched April 19 on Yom Hashoah, in partnership with Jewish Urban Meeting Place (JUMP), connects young people with Holocaust survivors.

“The volunteers get an opportunity to hear the stories from the survivors, and they’ll be the last generation to hear these stories first hand,” said Chayala Zarchi, 26, who is co-directing the project with her husband Rabbi Yudi Zarchi.

“Both parties benefit from this program. The survivors enjoy the companionship, they enjoy being around young, vibrant people. A lot of them are lonely. A lot of them do have family but want to participate just because they know how important it is to pass their story on.”

Modelled after an initiative that originated in New York City, iVolunteer Toronto’s pilot program has produced 10 successful pairings since it started last year.

“It was really just about getting some feedback and seeing how it works… We’re very excited to open it up to the public,” Zarchi said.

The launch, held at JUMP’s Yonge Street centre, attracted more than 100 people who enjoyed a light dinner before learning more about the initiative and hearing the personal testimony of Holocaust survivor Howard Chandler.

Chandler, was born in Poland in 1928. He was a prisoner in Starachowice labour camp, then interned in Auschwitz-Birkenau, Buchenwald and Theresienstadt before his liberation. Howard and his older brother were the only survivors in his family. He came to Canada as a war orphan in 1947.

Zarchi said she was initially inspired to lead such an initiative because of late great-grandfather, a native of Lodz, Poland who was also a Holocaust survivor.

“I’ve learned so much from being around him. He was the most incredible human being,” she said.

“Like the other survivors we’ve been meeting with, the experiences they’ve been through and the fact that they were able to start over again and build new families and build a new life is incredible.”

The iVolunteer participants meet about twice a month, but Zarchi stressed that the rules as to where, how and when they meet are very lax.

“They can meet in their homes, some of them might meet at a shopping mall, or they’ll go out for coffee together – it really depends on what they want,” she said.

“We realize that young professionals are busy and we want this to be able to fit into their schedules.”

Zarchi, who estimated that there are about 10,000 Holocaust survivors living in the Greater Toronto Area, said she’s committed to connecting as many young people with survivors as she can.

“We don’t have a lot of time left and there is such an urgency. We really need to take advantage of the time we have left with them.”

For more information about the initiative or to get involved, visit www.ivolunteertoronto.com.