The official name of this day on the Israeli calendar is Yom HaZikaron laShoah ve-laG’vurah, meaning “Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day.” We join Jewish communities around the world in mourning the dead and honoring the countless acts of heroism large and small on the part of all those, Jewish and not, who resisted the Nazis. We mourn the systematic murder of 6 million Jews, as well the members of other groups also targeted by Nazi ideology, including: gay men and lesbians, Jehovah’s Witnesses; people with disabilities; Poles; political dissenters; and Roma and others derogatorily labeled as “Gypsies.” All told, the Nazis murdered about 12 million people on the basis of some aspect of their identity.
We offer two readings featured in Ritualwell for Yom HaShoah your consideration:
Across Generations by Beth Kanell
A Prayer for Yom Hasho’ah / Holocaust Remembrance Day by Rabbi David Katz
Online Ceremonies Today - May 6, 2024
- Yom HaShoah began at sunset on Sunday, May 5, and it continues through the rest of the day today, May 6. Many in-person commemorations and observances took place yesterday, while others are scheduled for today. Check your local congregation’s website or local Jewish Federation website for more information. If you are unable to attend an in-person event, here are two online events that are free to the public:The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Salem State University invites the public to attend its annual Yom HaShoah remembrance ceremony. This year’s program will feature a memorial service, traditional songs performed by the Salem State Community Chorus, and a talk by Holocaust survivor, Dr. Miriam Klein Kassenoff. She fled Kosice, Slovakia as a small child in 1941 via Lisbon, Portugal with her parents and infant brother, the late Federal Honorable Judge Ted Klein. The ceremony is free and open to the public. To watch the ceremony on Zoom, please register here for the Zoom ceremony. The event begins at 7 pm Eastern Time.
- The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh and the Tree of Life Synagogue present a Yom HaShoah commemoration program that you can register for at this link. The event begins at 7 pm Eastern Time.
