Holocaust speaker to visit Lansdowne, despite Borough Council backing
A second-generation Holocaust survivor is coming to Lansdowne Borough to give a talk on Monday, April 13, the eve of Yom HaShoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Jerry Gross will talk about his late father, Ernie Gross’ experiences at Dachau concentration camp during World War II. He will also show a video of his dad meeting with Don Greenbaum, one of the soldiers who liberated Dachau.
The event is in collaboration with the Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center in Elkins Park, the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, and Councilman Benjamin Hover.
However, when Hover asked Lansdowne Council to sponsor the event at the March 18 meeting, his motion did not receive a second.
Hover said he blames Council President Jessica Pointer, who championed a change in how the borough celebrates religious and ethnic holidays, with proclamations from the mayor rather than the council.
But Hover, who is Jewish, has been the subject of antisemitic incidents, including a social media post by a Zoning Hearing Board member that brought statements of condemnation by Pointer and Mayor Magda Byrne.
Originally, the event was planned through the Lansdowne Borough Council, Hover said. In January of 2026, the Lansdowne Council unanimously passed a resolution commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which called for borough recognition of Yom HaShoah, he said. [International Holocaust Remembrance Day, in January, was declared by the United Nations and is separate from Yom HaShoah, a Jewish observance.]
But “due to several residents’ vocal, abusive, and antisemitic comments,” Council President Jessica Pointer produced a resolution to “not recognize any culturally significant events through resolution, thus gutting the work of historical recognition and educational programming through the Lansdowne Youth Committee,” said Hover. “Also, the leadership of the borough responded to antisemitic commentary and extreme antisemitic caricatures to encourage mediation instead of confronting and holding accountable the antisemitic actions of a few.”
Asked to comment on this issue, Pointer said, “On January 21, Lansdowne Borough Council adopted a Resolution 2026-09 recognizing the importance of Holocaust education and remembrance. It is available on the borough’s website. Mr. Hover’s motion at the March 18, 2026, meeting was for the borough to sponsor a Holocaust remembrance day event that he alone was organizing.
“I want to be clear that the outcome regarding Councilman Ben Hover’s recent motion was not the decision of any one individual, nor was it directed by the Council President. Lansdowne Borough Council operates as a collective governing body, and actions such as seconding a motion reflect the judgment of Council as a whole.
“I can only speak for myself, but I did not second his motion because Mr. Hover has a long history of not working collaboratively and of talking down to anyone who disagrees with him,” said Pointer. “He is the topic of frequent complaints from residents, including Jewish residents, who have stated at public meetings that they do not want him talking for them.”
“It is my understanding that Mr. Hover’s event is proceeding, and I hope it is successful and well received, but it will be his own event and not a borough event,” she added.
Pointer forwarded Fideri News Network’s request for comment to a Jewish resident, Jennifer Hoff. Hoff said Pointer was not to blame for the lack of a second for Hover’s motion, then went on to criticize Hover.
“From my position as a Jewish resident of Lansdowne, Mr. Hover’s motions should be denied on the basis that the Lansdowne Jewish Community has asked repeatedly to work with him and he has rebuffed us for three years now,” Hoff said. “Mr. Hover does not consult or engage with any of the Lansdowne Jewish community to plan Jewish events. This lack of community engagement would certainly be enough for me to vote against Mr. Hover’s motions.”
Hover said both Pointer and Hoff are vice chairs of the Lansdowne Democratic Committee, which he previously said has been at odds with him.
In his March 18 remarks to Council, Hover cited the Quaker origins of Pennsylvania and Lansdowne itself, which has the Lansdowne Friends Meeting on its seal, and that the state adopted a Human Relations Commission in 1995.
“In January, this Council discussed and passed several resolutions to do this good work – including the organizing resolution, which establishes that our work should be guided by diversity, equity, and inclusion,” Hover said.
He then cited various other religious or ethnic events and commemorations that Lansdowne Council voted to endorse, including Catholic schools, public schools, and Black History Month.
“The event is on the eve of Yom HaShoah and will take place at Lansdowne Borough Hall from 5 to 7 p.m. with an interfaith vigil to honor the victims and survivors of the Shoah (Holocaust) and to stand in solidarity against the growing voices of hatred within our communities that are fanning Jew hatred and antisemitism today,” said Hover.
