Yom HaShoah, May 1
05/04/11 22:46
It has been over 60 years since the Holocaust. To survivors, the Holocaust remains real and ever-present, but for some others, sixty years makes the Holocaust seem part of ancient history. Year-round we try to teach and inform others about the horrors of the Holocaust. We confront the questions of what happened? How did it happen? How could it happen? Could it happen again? We attempt to fight against ignorance with education and against disbelief with proof.
But there is one day in the year when we make a special effort to remember (Zachor). Upon this one day, we remember those that suffered, those that fought, and those that died. Yom HaShoah is officially known as Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day. Shoah, which means catastrophe or utter destruction in Hebrew, refers to the atrocities that were committed against the Jewish people during World War II. This is a memorial day for those who died in the Shoah. As the name suggests, it is a day dedicated to memorial and somber reflection in recognition of the millions of lives lost under Nazi persecution. In addition to the six million Jews who died -- two-thirds of the European Jewish population – the Nazis also killed millions of others, including Roma (Gypsies) and Slavs, political and religious dissidents, the handicapped, and gays and lesbians.
Yom HaShoah also reminds us to reflect on the acts of resistance that took place throughout the war. Having just completed Passover, the timing of Yom HaShoah is a constant reminder about the importance of maintaining resistance despite circumstances which make it nearly impossible to do so.
There are various beliefs about what is and is not appropriate on this day. Many commemorate Yom HaShoah by lighting yellow candles in order to keep the memories of the victims alive. Some ceremonies have people read from the Book of Names for certain lengths of time in an effort to remember those that died and to give an understanding of the huge number of victims. In Israel, at ten in the morning, a siren is sounded where everyone stops what they are doing, pull over in their cars, and stand in remembrance.
In whatever form you observe Yom Hashoah, the memory of the Jewish victims will live on.
On a personal note, my parents were both first generation Americans. My mother’s family was from Austria-Hungary. My father’s family was from Russia. Both families were decimated in the Holocaust.
When I was growing up in Co-op City in the Bronx, the father of one of my good friends was a Holocaust survivor. I remember him as a short, powerful man, with a great sense of humor and a very heavy accent. He often had his sleeves rolled up, with his tattooed number clearly visible. One of his favorite songs was a country song called “Sixteen Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford. I recall going over to my friend’s house late one night after ending the fast on Yom Kippur . He and his two brothers and his father were still sitting around the table and his father sang the song, with his heavy accent -- “sixteen tons and vat do you get, another year older and deeper in debt.” He had a big grin on his face as he belted out this song, with his three sons joining in. On that night, after remembering another year and looking forward to the next, he was happy to be here, happy to be with his family, happy to be alive.
On this day I marvel at his survival and I mourn those who did not survive. And I remember -- I remember because as Jews, and as citizens of the world, we must always remember. We must never forget so that the past, that horrible past, is never again repeated.
Scott Levinson
But there is one day in the year when we make a special effort to remember (Zachor). Upon this one day, we remember those that suffered, those that fought, and those that died. Yom HaShoah is officially known as Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day. Shoah, which means catastrophe or utter destruction in Hebrew, refers to the atrocities that were committed against the Jewish people during World War II. This is a memorial day for those who died in the Shoah. As the name suggests, it is a day dedicated to memorial and somber reflection in recognition of the millions of lives lost under Nazi persecution. In addition to the six million Jews who died -- two-thirds of the European Jewish population – the Nazis also killed millions of others, including Roma (Gypsies) and Slavs, political and religious dissidents, the handicapped, and gays and lesbians.
Yom HaShoah also reminds us to reflect on the acts of resistance that took place throughout the war. Having just completed Passover, the timing of Yom HaShoah is a constant reminder about the importance of maintaining resistance despite circumstances which make it nearly impossible to do so.
There are various beliefs about what is and is not appropriate on this day. Many commemorate Yom HaShoah by lighting yellow candles in order to keep the memories of the victims alive. Some ceremonies have people read from the Book of Names for certain lengths of time in an effort to remember those that died and to give an understanding of the huge number of victims. In Israel, at ten in the morning, a siren is sounded where everyone stops what they are doing, pull over in their cars, and stand in remembrance.
In whatever form you observe Yom Hashoah, the memory of the Jewish victims will live on.
On a personal note, my parents were both first generation Americans. My mother’s family was from Austria-Hungary. My father’s family was from Russia. Both families were decimated in the Holocaust.
When I was growing up in Co-op City in the Bronx, the father of one of my good friends was a Holocaust survivor. I remember him as a short, powerful man, with a great sense of humor and a very heavy accent. He often had his sleeves rolled up, with his tattooed number clearly visible. One of his favorite songs was a country song called “Sixteen Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford. I recall going over to my friend’s house late one night after ending the fast on Yom Kippur . He and his two brothers and his father were still sitting around the table and his father sang the song, with his heavy accent -- “sixteen tons and vat do you get, another year older and deeper in debt.” He had a big grin on his face as he belted out this song, with his three sons joining in. On that night, after remembering another year and looking forward to the next, he was happy to be here, happy to be with his family, happy to be alive.
On this day I marvel at his survival and I mourn those who did not survive. And I remember -- I remember because as Jews, and as citizens of the world, we must always remember. We must never forget so that the past, that horrible past, is never again repeated.
Scott Levinson
