The World Federation of Jewish Holocaust Survivors & Descendants Conference is the largest gathering that brings together survivors and their second- and third-generation descendants, according to holocaustchild.org, the conference’s official website.

Over the past 35 years, it has been held in Israel, France, and Cleveland, among other places.

This fall, it will come to Philadelphia for the first time.

From Oct. 23 to 26, 300 to 400 survivors and descendants will gather at a hotel in Center City. The conference typically includes plenary sessions, study halls and meetings. The World Federation of Jewish Holocaust Survivors & Descendants represents the interests of the survivor community and tries to keep its memory alive.

“This is the only organization of this type, which is international,” said Lily Elbaum, a planning coordinator for the organization and conference.

Philadelphia, the birthplace of the United States, was chosen to align with the country’s 250th birthday, according to Elbaum.

“It’s in the context of the contributions that survivors made, and their descendants of course,” she said.

The World Federation of Jewish Holocaust Survivors & Descendants Conference is known for being less about academic discussions and ceremonies than other survivor gatherings. It leaves plenty of time and space for networking, storytelling and community-building.

The Philadelphia-based gathering will have a specific goal: attracting third-generation descendants. Around 24,000 survivors die each year, according to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. The global population of survivors is now below 200,000. Projections also state that around 90% of the survivor population will be gone by the early 2040s.

That makes it essential for younger generations to start discussing how they might keep the memory alive, according to Elbaum.

“We want to make sure the torch, so to speak, is passed on,” she said. “The third generation, which is the grandchildren of survivors, will be the last generation to be exposed to actual survivors. I can only quote Elie Wiesel, who said, if you talk to a witness, you become a witness.”

About 400 people have signed up to attend this year’s conference, according to Elbaum. Around 60% of them are second-generation descendants of survivors, and roughly 30% are third generation.

The organization is hoping to attract first-time attendees, and it now has a Facebook page, an Instagram page and an email list through Constant Contact to pursue that end. The email list has about 1,400 subscribers, and 60 expressed interest in attending this year’s event.

“And some of them registered,” Elbaum said.

But attracting first-time attendees and third-generation descendants remains a challenge. Jake Sztejman, a second-generation descendant who lives in Philadelphia, helped organize the conference with Elbaum, and even he’s having trouble convincing his own grandchildren “to be part of our events.”

“They don’t find it to be of interest that much because they haven’t been exposed that much to the Holocaust survivors and their stories. They talk about it in school. However, it’s not really talked about that much,” he said.

At last year’s event in Paris, about 100 survivors showed up, including a 98-year-old woman. Elbaum said the woman came because she “felt a responsibility.”

“When they die, everything will be secondhand,” Elbaum added.

Sztejman, who stays involved with the Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors of Philadelphia, is also trying to use his local connections to gain more visibility for the event in the Philadelphia area.

He frequently organizes local gatherings of survivors and their descendants and served as a longtime board member and vice chair of the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation. His efforts were instrumental in launching the well-known memorial on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The second-generation descendant has invited Philadelphia’s mayor, Cherelle Parker, to attend. The mayor’s office got back to him and said it would depend on her schedule.

“And of course we will extend an invitation to the governor,” said Elbaum, referring to Gov. Josh Shapiro.

jsaffren@midatlanticmedia.com