Yom HaShoah – Holocaust Memorial Day: Suggested Links for learning and Commemoration

Between Passover and Shavuot, Israel and world Jewry have three special days of memory and celebration: Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, Yom HaZikaron, Israel Memorial Day; and Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day.  While these days are typically marked by community ceremonies and celebrations, gathering together is not possible this year.  The resources provided here will assist you in bringing your community together, online in new and meaningful ways.  

Using the links below, consider having students recreate the siren which sounds at sundown the evening before (April 20) and again at 10:00 AM the following morning.  This can be done communally over Zoom or individual learners could submit video of their family standing still to commemorate the victims and heroes of the Holocaust.  

You may want to teach the poem “Lechol Ish Yesh Shem” (Each person has a name) by Zelda, and reflect on its importance and relevance to this memorial.   Students could be asked to add two lines to the poem that speak to their sense of what makes each life valuable and significant.

Sirens: 

  • Footage of the annual Yom HaShoah siren in Shuk Machane Yehuda in Jerusalem as the entire bustling market stops to commemorate the victims and heroes of the Holocaust –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfwQhmRhrqM
  • Footage of the annual Yom HaShoah siren on a highway in Tel Aviv as motorists stop and exit their cars country in silence to commemorate the victims and heroes of the Holocaust – https://youtu.be/4uK5uz7d-Oo 

Music: 

 Ceremonies: 

Video Holocaust Survivor Testimonies: 

 Online Exhibitions: 

Articles and Lessons: