For the past several years, I’ve sat at a table in a conference room of the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum and read the names of Holocaust victims aloud for 15 minutes. It’s only 15 minutes—a fleeting moment compared to the immeasurable loss of six million lives—but those minutes stay with me resonating long after my time at the microphone.
As someone with no known familial connection to the Holocaust, this act has become profoundly personal. Since joining the Jewish Light, I’ve had the privilege of meeting Holocaust survivors, their families and the descendants of those whose stories we strive to keep alive. Reading these names has become my way of connecting—not just to the people and the history but to a shared responsibility to remember.
My experience
Sitting in that quiet conference room, I often stumble over unfamiliar names. In those moments of mispronunciation, I feel the weight of their stories. These are names tied to places I’ve never visited and tragedies I’ll never fully understand. But reading them aloud feels like bearing witness even in a small way to the enormity of the Holocaust.
As I read, I’m drawn closer to our shared history and to the survivors whose stories I’ve been privileged to tell through my work. This act has become my personal way of honoring those lives and preserving their memory.
Why it matters
The act of reading names is as simple as it is profound. Each name spoken aloud reclaims an identity stolen by the Nazis. As the poet Zelda wrote, “Unto every person there is a name…given to him by his parents.”
For the Holocaust Museum, the annual “Reading of the Names” on Jan. 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, is both a solemn duty and a public call to action. From 8:55 a.m. to 4 p.m., local leaders, students and volunteers, including myself and Ellen Futterman, editor-in-chief of the Light, will take turns reading names. The event will also be livestreamed on YouTube allowing viewers from across the globe to join in this act of remembrance.
Each name read is a reminder of lives lost but not forgotten—a testimony to the resilience of memory and the power of speaking their names aloud.
Why you should watch
This year, I invite you to join me and countless others by tuning into the livestream. Listen as names are read and reflect on the stories behind them. Watching and hearing these names isn’t just an act of remembrance; it’s an acknowledgment of our collective responsibility to combat hate and preserve memory.
As Myron Freedman, the museum’s executive director, said, “Each name read is a life we honor and a story we preserve.”
Event Details
Date: Monday, Jan. 27, 2025
Time: 8:55 a.m. to 4 p.m. (CST)
Location: St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, 36 Millstone Campus Drive
Livestream: Watch on YouTube
| RELATED: Understanding the Kaplan Feldman family’s mission to build Holocaust awareness
