NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – Members of the U.S. Navy gathered Thursday afternoon to remember the Holocaust.

The week marks the National Days of Remembrance, a time to remember the victims and survivors of the mass ethnic genocide during World War II.

Around 90 years ago, Nazi’s started something that would almost completely wipe out an entire generation.

At the end of their reign of terror, more than 6 million Jews were killed.

So many years later, Rabbi Mitchell Schranz said remembering the tragic event and victims’ stories is more important than ever as more Holocaust survivors die each day.

“We really need to preserve the memory of what they went through and their stories and carry that into future generations,” Schranz said.

A Torah scroll also graced Thursday morning’s remembrance ceremony.

The sacred text, filled with Jewish history and traditions, is on loan to the USS Eisenhower from Temple Israel in Akron, Ohio. The aircraft carrier is one of three of its kind that holds a scroll.

Navy Commander Lara Bollinger said the text breathes a new life into the Navy.

“Three aircraft carriers, we have these torahs that have been brought back to life and they are fighting alongside us to win wars against these evils from which they were resurrected,” Bollinger said.

She shared her personal connection to the tragic genocide.

Her grandmother convinced her rabbi to help an escape, which helped save more than 100 people from death camps.

“She emptied her suitcase in the synagogue, she took a Torah scroll and she told the rabbi, ‘Rabbi if you don’t leave for yourself, if you don’t leave for these people, leave for this. Leave for our traditions, leave for our way of life,” Bollinger said.

The Days of Remembrance serve not only to remember the millions of fallen Jews, but those of other ethnicities who perished because of hate.

“There were the 6 million Jews, so there’s six candles to represent each of the million who were murdered plus one to represent the millions of non-Jews that were murdered.”

Bollinger said she hopes to one day find out what happened to the Torahs and people her grandmother helped save.

The Days of Remembrance continue through Sunday.