FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT YOM HASHOAH

(click question to see answers)

What is Yom HaShoah ?

The Annual Jewish Remembrance Day for Victims of the Holocaust

When was it established ?

In 1952 by the Knesset (Parliament) of the State of Israel

Is it held on January 27th ?

No. That is the International Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust and other Genocides, which was established in 2001. Jews can also observe this Remembrance Day, but it is not the Jewish Memorial day. This as mentioned above, was established more than 50 years ago and is specifically to remember and honour the Jewish victims of the Nazi Holocaust.

So when does Yom HaShoah occur ?

On the 27th day of Nissan in the Jewish calendar, which falls shortly after Passover, in the months of either April or May in the English calendar. This date was chosen to recognise both the heroic resistance of the Warsaw Ghetto fighters which took place within this time span in 1943 and the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, on this date in 1945.

How will I know the day each year ?

The day is shown in most Jewish calendars/diaries and is publicised in the Jewish press or can be found through any internet search engine

Why do we have to remember ?

To ensure that the 6 million Jewish Victims, including 1.5 million children, brutally murdered by the Nazis for no other reason than they were Jewish, are not forgotten; to honour their memory; and to shape a better future by learning the lessons from this uniquely tragic episode in Jewish history.

Did you know there is a National Memorial to the Holocaust ?

Through the initiative of the Board of Deputies and its then President, Lord Greville Janner, The Dell, is the name of an open air area in Hyde Park in Central London, where the UK National Memorial to the Holocaust is sited.

The Memorial stone is in the Holocaust Memorial Garden, being at the westerly end of the Serpentine Lake.

What is the "The Forum for Yom HaShaoh" initiative ?

There are some very big changes planned by the Forum for this next 5 year period.

It has decided that now is the time, whilst Survivors and Refugees and those who lived through this terrible episode in Jewish history are still with us to tell their stories to the present generation, to embark on a major campaign within Anglo-Jewry to create greater awareness and observance of Yom HaShoah and all it stands for.

How will I find out about the events being held ?

Information will be made available on Synagogue notice-boards, through their mailings to members, or on their web-sites; in the local or national Jewish press; and in a Directory of Events, that will be published as Yom HaShoah approaches and which will also be available on the web-site of the Forum for Yom HaShoah web-site: www.yomhashoah.org.uk.