In 1967 in Poland I met my aunts and cousins from my mother's side. Almost all of my father's side were killed. I have written before that 98% of my family were destroyed, so Yom Hashoah has meaning for me.

But Holocaust Remembrance Day is one day that should be observed by all peoples not just Jews:

Pastor Martin Niemöller,
First They came for...

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

The Holocaust changed my father's belief in God. Before then he was an Orthodox Jew. Afterwards, not a religious Jew at all. In all my life I never heard my father mention God. The strange thing is that he named me Benzion (Hebrew for Son Of Zion) when I was born and named my brother Pesach (Passover). My name means "Son of the Promised Land to Come," or "Son of Jerusalem," or "Son of Israel." Take your pick.

Even though he named my brother "Passover" we never as a family, as long as our father was alive, ever celebrated Passover in our home. My name changed to Bernie in the kindergarten and my brother's changed to Peter. My father changed his name from Hershel to Harry. We were in America and a new life.

Although my father told me hundreds of stories about life in Russia and Poland prior to 1939 and from 1945 onwards, he never once told us of anything between 1939 and 1945. It was as if history ceased to exist.

So how should we, as Jews and friends of Jews observe Yom Hashoah? Well, this is a new memorial day and there is yet no defined tradition. In Israel all public entertainment on Yom Hashoah is closed by law: theaters, cinemas, bars, clubs, and other public venues are shut throughout the country. In 12 hours from now in Israel a siren will sound, everyone will stop what they are doing, pedestrians will stop walking, drivers will pull over in their cars, and everyone will stand for two minutes in remembrance.

In America Jews have observed with candlelighting, poems, prayers, and singing. The dwindling number of still living Holocaust survivors will speak about their experiences or share in the readings. For convenience, some Jewish congregations may commemorative Yom Hashoah today rather than tomorrow.

However you observe it, just remember what happened, do not allow the memory of the Jewish victims to die. I do not have any relatives who survived the camps. If they were related to me and they went to Auschwitz or Bergen-Belsen or any of the other concentration camps, they never came out alive.

In my home, despite my belief that candles are dangerous to your health, I will be lighting one candle tomorrow in remembrance of the family members I never met, and of all the fathers and mothers, sons and daughters of Jews and non-Jews who died in the Holocaust.

ENDNOTES

(1):

About.com, Yom Hashoah

After the horrors of the Holocaust, Jews wanted a day to memorialize this tragedy. But what day? The Holocaust spanned years with suffering and death spread throughout these years of terror. No one day stood out as representative of this destruction.

...

For two years, the date was debated. Finally, in 1950, compromises and bargaining began. The 27th of Nissan was chosen, which falls beyond Passover but within the time span of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Orthodox Jews still did not like this date because it was a day of mourning within the traditionally happy month of Nissan. As a final effort to compromise, it was decided that if the 27th of Nissan would affect Shabbat (fall on Friday or Saturday), then it would be moved. If the 27th of Nissan falls on a Friday, Holocaust Remembrance Day is moved to the preceding Thursday. If the 27th of Nissan falls on a Sunday, then Holocaust Remembrance Day is moved to the following Monday.