Yom HaShoah, known as Holocaust Remembrance Day, is observed as Israel’s day of remembering and commemorating the six million Jews who died during the Holocaust, as well as the Jewish resistance heroes who arose during that time period. 

According to shiva.com, Yom HaShoah literally means the “day of remembrance of the catastrophe and the heroism.” The observance is held one week after the seventh day of Passover. It also falls one week before Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers.

Since the 1960s, the sound of a siren on Yom HaShoah stops all activity throughout Israel while two minutes of silent devotion is observed.

Yom HaShoah is a prescribed time to commemorate, honor and reflect on those who endured the pain, suffering and loss as a result of the Holocaust. This is especially true if your family has been touched by the Holocaust either through personal loss or through survivors.

According to a previous article posted for last year’s observance, “Survival and hardship and the importance of family are on the minds of many these days. Though no challenge can truly be compared with the Holocaust, remembering those dark days may help us cope with our current troubles.”

To honor the survivors and remember the victims, the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum will host three virtual events over the next two weeks.

“The mission of our Yom HaShoah commemoration continues – to remember the victims, honor the survivors, and educate the community about the history and lessons of the Holocaust,” the museum stated on its website.

On Sunday, April 11, the museum will host Yom Hashoah 2021 St. Louis Holocaust Commemoration via YouTube and Facebook Live. The commemoration will be held virtually and will continue the traditional focus on St. Louis survivors through their eyewitness accounts of the Shoah. The program will also honor our community’s Holocaust Torah scrolls and include music, liturgical readings and prayers.

On Monday, April 19, the museum will host another virtual event, “The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos.” This video interview, moderated by Lory Cooper, manager-volunteers and tours for the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, will premiere at 7 p.m.

Presented in partnership with the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival, this interview will tell one of the most important stories of World War II. Judy Batalion, the granddaughter of Polish Holocaust survivors, shares the extraordinary accomplishments of brave Jewish women who became resistance fighters. “The Light of Days” is an unforgettable true tale of war, the fight for freedom, female friendship and survival in the face of staggering odds.

Finally, at 7:30 p.m. on the 19^th, the museum will host “Lost Voices,” featuring chamber music by the Fox Players. Featuring the works of Erwin Schulhoff, Gideon Klein and Andre Previn, this program is dedicated to the music and memory of artists who perished in the Holocaust. Learn their stories, witness their music and come together to remember these lost — but not forgotten — voices.

This program will also be broadcast to communities in both St. Louis and Kalamazoo, Mich., thanks to support from the Holocaust museum here and the Michigan Festival of Sacred Music. Register for this program here.

For more information about Yom HaShoah and the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, please visit https://stlholocaustmuseum.org/get-involved/attend-event/.