Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Remembrance

Monday evening, April 17, marks the beginning of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. This past year we have seen a rise in antisemitism in our state, with hateful flyers distributed in neighborhoods, and the threat of a so-called “day of hate” requiring increased vigilance. Efforts to pass a law increasing legal protections for Jews here in Florida will make hate crimes a felony.

Even so, we recognize that we are far more fortunate than those who came in the generations before us. We choose one day a year to recall what can happen when the world allows hatred to go unchecked. The horrors of the Holocaust happened on every day of the calendar year, but the Jewish community has, with great intention, chosen one day for its commemoration, the 27th of Nisan. This date is the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, signifying that our history, even in our darkest days, is not just a story of victimhood, but also of physical, psychological and spiritual resistance.

As we observe Yom HaShoah, we are blessed with freedom and strength that those who came before us could only dream of. We can choose to be inspired by their resistance, to live proudly and to stand up for ourselves.

Tuesday evening, April 18 at 7:00PM, we will have a Yom HaShoah commemoration, at Congregation Shomrei Torah. Families will be invited to light a candle in memory of their loved ones.

There are a few ritual moments throughout the year, including our Yizkor and Kol Nidre services, where we would like to honor those in our community with more direct connections to the Shoah. If you are a relative of a survivor, or if you remember someone who perished in the Shoah, please join the Tallahassee community so we can honor those who are still with us and preserve the memory of those who are not.