International Holocaust Remembrance DayThe United Nations General Assembly Designated January 27th an annual international day of commemoration to honor Holocaust victims. January 27th is the day associated with the liberation of Auschwitz.
To the thousands of survivors who were on the death march out of Auschwitz, this is a controversial day.
Israel and the United States continue to observe Holocaust Remembrance Day on the date assigned on the Hebrew calendar, the 27th of Nissan. (This year, that is April 11, 2010.) Nonetheless, the UN's move is momentous as it urges Member States to develop educational programs to instill the memory of the tragedy in future generations to prevent genocide from occurring again...read UN document.
What about Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah) in April?
After the horrors of the Holocaust, Jews wanted a day to memorialize this tragedy. But what day? For two years, the date was debated. Finally, in 1950, compromises and bargaining began. The 27th of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar,* was chosen. This date falls beyond Passover but within the time span of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising.
On April 12, 1951, the Knesset (Israel's parliament) proclaimed Yom Hashoah U'Mered HaGetaot (Holocaust and Ghetto Revolt Remembrance Day) to be the 27th of Nisan. The name was later simplified to Yom Hashoah. This year Holocaust Remembrance Day is on April 11, 2010.
Each year the Holocaust Center organizes the Yom Hashoah: Holocaust Remembrance Day Community Program. This year the program will be on April 11, 2010 at the Stroum Jewish Community Center, Mercer Island. This year's program will include: musical and theatrical performances, a display of student artwork, a memorial service, and a panel of children of Holocaust survivors sharing thoughts and experiences. More information available soon at www.wsherc.org/programs. Free and open to the public.
*The Hebrew calendar is based on the lunar cycle. The months are shorter than those on the solar calendar (the calendar we commonly use), so a date on the Hebrew calendar does not consistently match up with a day on the solar calendar. For example, the 27th of Nisan is not always April 11. In 2011, Yom Hashoah (the 27th of Nisan) fall on May 1.
What does the word Holocaust mean?
The term Holocaust originally meant a sacrifice that was totally burned by fire. The Hebrew word Shoah, which means "catastrophe" or "destruction," is also used to refer to the Holocaust.
More information and teaching materials for Holocaust Remembrance: http://www.wsherc.org/teaching/commemoration/intro.aspx
Stories of local Holocaust survivors:
http://www.wsherc.org/center/survivorstories/survivorstories.aspx
Holocaust Writing and Art Contest:
http://www.wsherc.org/writingcontest/contest.aspx
Photo by Nicole Kahn. Holocaust Memorial on Mercer Island.
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