Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah)

Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) begins tonight, April 15th, and ends Thursday evening, April 16th.

We honor and remember the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

You can also read about it on Yad Vashmem’s site, here.

Mimi Writes…a beautiful tribute and memorial.

Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.
Mary Elizabeth Frye

The photographs above were taken by me when I visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum a few years back.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

January 27, 2015 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, designated by the United Nations. It is on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. This year, it will have been 70-years since the liberation.

Wolf Blitzer at Auschwitz: “You can smell the death”. Watch him walk through Auschwitz.

You can read about Gina Turgel’s survival story, here.

“Auschwitz Concentration Camp Survivors Return to Mark Anniversary”-read the story, here.

Here is an interesting article on Auschwitz, and how it is perceived.

Read about Greta Wienfeld and her story of survival, here.

We Remember Them by Sylvan Kamens & Rabbi Jack Riemer
At the rising sun and at its going down; We remember them.
At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter; We remember them.
At the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring; We remember them.
At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer; We remember them.
At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of the autumn; We remember them.
At the beginning of the year and when it ends; We remember them.
As long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us as We remember them.

When we are weary and in need of strength; We remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart; We remember them.
When we have decisions that are difficult to make; We remember them.
When we have joy we crave to share; We remember them.
When we have achievements that are based on theirs; We remember them.
For as long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us as, We remember them.

Yom Ha’Shoah – International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Let us remember all of those who came before us, all of the victims of the Holocaust, by taking a moment to pray for those no longer with us. Our thoughts and prayers will keep them with us.

The first few lines of this poem were written during WWII, on the wall of a cellar, etched on the wall, by a Jewish prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp, in Cologne, Germany. The rest of the lines were written by the composer Z. Randall Stroope.

“I believe in the sun
even when it is not shining
And I believe in love,
even when there’s no one there.
And I believe in God,
even when he is silent.

I believe through any trial,
there is always a way
But sometimes in this suffering
and hopeless despair
My heart cries for shelter,
to know someone’s there
But a voice rises within me, saying hold on
my child, I’ll give you strength,
I’ll give you hope. Just stay a little while.

I believe in the sun
even when it is not shining
And I believe in love
even when there’s no one there
But I believe in God
even when he is silent
I believe through any trial
there is always a way.

May there someday be sunshine
May there someday be happiness
May there someday be love
May there someday be peace….“

– Unknown

Yom HaShoah – Holocaust Remembrance Day

Let us not forget those who died during the Shoah/Holocaust.

This poem was written during WWII, on the wall of a cellar, etched on the wall, by a Jewish prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp, in Cologne, Germany.

“I believe in the sun
even when it is not shining
And I believe in love,
even when there’s no one there.
And I believe in God,
even when he is silent.

I believe through any trial,
there is always a way
But sometimes in this suffering
and hopeless despair
My heart cries for shelter,
to know someone’s there
But a voice rises within me, saying hold on
my child, I’ll give you strength,
I’ll give you hope. Just stay a little while.

I believe in the sun
even when it is not shining
And I believe in love
even when there’s no one there
But I believe in God
even when he is silent
I believe through any trial
there is always a way.

May there someday be sunshine
May there someday be happiness
May there someday be love
May there someday be peace….”

– Unknown

The organizations below are excellent Holocaust/Shoah resources:

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Yad Vashem

Wikipedia

April 7, 2013 – 27 Nisan, 5773

Shoah/Holocaust, Ancestral Roots, Shabbat

Yom HaShoah/Holocaust Remembrance Day ended yesterday. But, for me the remembering never ceases.

Each day I am reminded of those who came before me. It matters not what their status is: whether they were murdered during the Holocaust, whether they survived and are still living, or whether the survivors are no longer living. The fact remains that they were victims of the Holocaust, and each day I remember them and pray for them.

I think of all individuals who are suffering forms of genocide, and it doesn’t matter where their location is. Genocide is genocide, no matter how you look at it.

Trees are beautiful life forms, but more than that, they are reminders of our ancestral past and our present. Their branches flow much like our own family tree branches out throughout the generations. Generation after generation, life is multiplied, and life also diminishes, but the radiance and illuminations of past lives resonates within our own ancestral branches and our hearts.

No matter where our paths lead, and no matter whether our skies are blue, cloudy or gray, there is always time for a moment of remembrance.

Please remember those who came before you, this Shabbat.

Painting taken by Nazis during WWII, returned to heirs.

A Real Titanic Love Story

Shabbat Shalom!

April 20, 2012 – 28 Nisan, 5772

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Remembrance

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will hold a candle-lighting ceremony at 11:00 a.m., in the Hall of Remembrance, today.

The museum also has some fantastic teaching information and opportunities regarding Holocaust education.

Yad Vashem Commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Read:  “Europe Gears Up to Honor International Holocaust Remembrance Day“.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) Remembers.

European Jewish Press Remembers.

Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity

Part of the World War II Memorial at Night.

Wikipedia link.

Simon Wiesenthal Center

Art and Seek Candle Vigil, North Texas

United States Mission to UNESCO Remembers.

Museum of Tolerance in New York Remembers.

Dallas Holocaust Museum Center Remembers.

 

Silale, Lithuania

Silale, Lithuania, where some of my paternal ancestors lived, and where some were murdered in the Holocaust.

Holy Ark

Please take a moment to reflect on the significance of this day.  Thank you.  Shabbat Shalom.

January 27, 2012 – 3 Sh’Vat, 5772