HOLOCAUST MARTYRS’ AND HEROES’ REMEMBRANCE DAY
Courtesy of Yad Vashem
Overview
Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah in Hebrew) is a national day of commemoration in Israel, on which the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust are memorialized.
It is a solemn day, beginning at sunset on the 27th of the month of Nissan and ending the following evening, according to the traditional Jewish custom of marking a day. Places of entertainment are closed and memorial ceremonies are held throughout the country. The central ceremonies, in the evening and the following morning, are held at Yad Vashem and are broadcast on the television. Marking the start of the day-in the presence of the President of the State of Israel and the Prime Minister dignitaries , survivors , children of survivors and their families, gather together with the general public to take part in the memorial ceremony at Yad Vashem in which six torches, representing the six million murdered Jews, are lit.
The following morning, the ceremony at Yad Vashem begins with the sounding of a siren for two minutes throughout the entire country. For the duration of the sounding, work is halted, people walking in the streets stop, cars pull off to the side of the road and everybody stands at silent attention in reverence to the victims of the Holocaust. Afterward, the focus of the ceremony at Yad Vashem is the laying of wreaths at the foot of the six torches, by dignitaries and the representatives of survivor groups and institutions.
Video of Siren and Traffic Stopping on Yom HaShoah in Israel
Other sites of remembrance in Israel, such as the Ghetto Fighters' Kibbutz and Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, also host memorial ceremonies, as do schools, military bases, municipalities and places of work. Throughout the day, both the television and radio broadcast programs about the Holocaust. In recent years, other countries and Jewish communities have adopted Yom Hashoah, the 27th of Nissan, to mark their own day of memorial for the victims of the Holocaust.
PROGRAM OF EVENTS AT YAD VASHEM
The Eve of Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day
Sunday, April 15, 2007
20:00 The opening ceremony of Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day, in the presence of Acting President Dalia Itzik and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Warsaw Ghetto Square
Admission to the opening ceremony is by invitation only
Limited seating available. For invitations, call: 02-6443570/1 22:00 Symposium: “And You Shall Tell Your Children - The Story of the Shoah Between History and Remembrance,” with the participation of Prof. Yehuda Bauer, Rabbi Dr. Benny Lau, the poetess Agi Mishol, Ronal Fisher, Adv. and Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate Avner Shalev, moderated by Ehud Graf, Auditorium
The symposium will be broadcast live on IDF Radio.
Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day, Monday, April 16, 2007
10:00 Siren 10:02 Wreath-laying ceremony with the participation of Israel's Acting President, Prime Minister, Chairman of the Jewish Agency, Chief of the General Staff, Chief of Police, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Mayor of Jerusalem, public figures, representatives of survivor organizations, school children and delegations from all over the country, Warsaw Ghetto Square 10:30-12:30 “Unto Every Person There Is A Name” - recitation of Holocaust Victims' names by members of the public, Hall of Remembrance
11:00 “Unto Every Person There Is A Name” - recitation of Holocaust victims' names in the presence of the Speaker of the Knesset and public figures, Knesset 11:00-15:00 Special screening of Holocaust-related films, Visual Center 13:00 Main memorial ceremony, Hall of Remembrance 15:00 Memorial ceremony for Hungarian Jews murdered in the Holocaust, Valley of the Communities 16.00 Memorial ceremony for former members of the Jewish Resistance in France, Auditorium 17:30 Ceremony for youth movements with the participation of youth movements and hundreds of Holocaust survivors, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education's Youth and Social Administration and Youth Movement Council, the Center of Organizations of Holocaust Survivors in Israel, and the “Generation to Generation-Bearers of the Holocaust and Heroism Legacy” organization, Warsaw Ghetto Square 19:00 “Finding the Strength”: Gathering of the “Generation to Generation-Bearers of the Holocaust and Heroism Legacy” organization, Beit Wolyn, 10 Rehov Korazin, Givatayim
For details and registration: dorot_hemshech@walla.com, or tel: 02-6443415
Meetings with survivors, guided tours and creative workshops will be taking place throughout the day at the International School for Holocaust Studies. For details, call 02-6443441.
An exhibition of posters created by students will be displayed in the International School for Holocaust studies
The public is invited to visit the new exhibition “Spots of Light – To Be a Woman in the Holocaust” on display in the Exhibitions Pavilion
Additional information
On Remembrance Day Eve, Sunday, April 15, 2007 Yad Vashem will be open to the public from 9:00 until 12:00.
At 17:30, invitees to the opening ceremony will be admitted to the site.
At 21:30, the site will be opened to those wishing to attend the symposium.
On Remembrance Day, Monday, April 16, 2007 Yad Vashem will be open to the public from 8:00 until 19:00.
Private vehicles will not be admitted to Yad Vashem on Remembrance Day Eve or on Remembrance Day itself.
Parking facilities are available on Mt. Herzl.
Transportation from Mt. Herzl to Yad Vashem will be available to the public for all Remembrance Day events.
Concert - “In Memory”
Concert in cooperation with Yad Vashem, the Targ Music Center and Beit Terezin, with the participation of the Beit Terezin Ensemble. The concert will feature works by Viktor Ullmann, Gideon Klein, Ernest Bloch, Sasha Argov, Eden Partush and Yonatan Niv. Musical director: Dr. Dudu Sela
The concert will take place on Monday, 16 April 2007 at 16:00 in the Targ Music Center, Ein Kerem, Jerusalem
Entrance is free of charge; for more details, tel: 02-6414250
HOLOCAUST MARTYRS’ AND HEROES’ REMEMBRANCE DAY