Featured: Yom HaShoah

World War II. This devastating and horrific war broke out two decades after the events of World War I and saw the rise of National Socialists (the Nazi Party) in Germany. Under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, the Nazis invaded Poland on September 1st, 1939 officially beginning their destructive plan, a plan known to all as the Holocaust or Hilter’s diabolical “Final Solution.” During the course of the war the Jewish population in particular was targeted and placed within poorly kept ghettos and appalling concentration camps.

The war against Hitler and his Nazis took place on all fronts including inside of the ghettos and concentration camps themselves. On January 18th, 1943, the first uprising in the ghettos of Warsaw started; the uprising lasts four days. April 19th, 1943, a revolt in the Warsaw ghetto begins and lasts for 27 days. Within the year, revolts continue to begin in various ghettos and concentration camps. On January 27th, 1945 the Red Army (Soviet Forces) liberated the Nazi’s most notorious concentration camp at Auschwitz in south-western Poland. These dates are the dates most commonly recognized as the start of the liberation of the Jewish people from Nazi oppression. By the end of the war in 1945, which ended with the defeat of the Nazis by Allied powers, an estimated 11 million people were killed; six million of these people were Jewish.

Holocaust Remembrance Day - also known as Yom HaShoah in Hebrew - begins on Monday April 8th this year. It was named a national public holiday in 1959 and in 1961 a law was passed in Israel stating that all public entertainment must be closed on this day. Also at ten in the morning, a siren is sounded where everyone must stop what they are doing and stand in remembrance.

Originally, the 27th of Nissan was chosen for this day. This particular day of remembrance is constantly moved around as to not affect Shabbat (meaning it cannot fall on a Friday or Saturday in the month of April). Generally speaking, Yom HaShoah is observed with candle lighting, speakers, poems, prayers and singing; often six candles are lit to represent the six million Jewish victims during World War II, ceremonies are held and the Book of Names is read for a certain length or Holocaust survivors speak about their experiences.

Most people consider the Holocaust a distant memory and often times would prefer not to think about it considering it to be “too disturbing”. Although we may not want to actually consider something so horrible and would rather push it from our minds we should all at least take a few moments to remember the victims and to honor the deaths of those lost. It is our responsibility to make sure that the horrors of the past are not repeated and that a respect for all human life is encouraged.

Many thanks to everybody dies; and Airi for editing!