The Yoms are modern Jewish holidays which connect us to the past and to each other, reminding us of what we have lost and what we still have.
Yom Hashoah, also called Holocaust Remembrance Day, commemorates the lives of the six million Jewish people who died in the Holocaust. This Hebrew calendar date is the 27th day of Nisan. Yom Hashoah is observed this year beginning at sundown on Monday, April 13th and ending at sundown on Tuesday, April 14th.
“There are cultures that forget the past and there are cultures that are held captive by the past. Jews do neither. We carry the past with us as we will carry the memory of the Shoah with us, for as long as the Jewish people exists, as Moses carried the bones of Joseph, and as the Levites carried the fragments of the shattered tablets of stone. Those fragments of memory help make us who we are.” — Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
Temple Emunah will be observing Yom Hashoah this year on Monday evening, April 13th beginning at 7 pm.
This memorial evening will include readings, prayers, a featured speaker, music by Kolot Emunah, and moments of silence to honor the victims of the Holocaust.
This year’s Yom Hashoah speaker is Leah Davenport who, while on a study abroad program in Poland, Germany, and the Netherlands, did research on the Landsmann family who were murdered in Auschwitz in 1942. Leah chose to use “Stolpersteine” (German for “stumbling stones”) to enable this family’s memory to live on forever.
There are more than 100,000 Stolpersteine in countries where Jews were taken from their homes and murdered simply for being Jewish. These 4 by 4-inch brass plates are found in sidewalks throughout Europe near the last known residences of Nazi victims; each is inscribed with a name of a murdered resident who had lived at that address.
Join us on April 13th at Temple Emunah to hear Leah’s story (see this Hadassah magazine article from July/August 2025). Leah is currently pursuing a master’s degree in social work at Boston College.
Light a candle: It is a common practice on Yom Hashoah to light a memorial yahrzeit candle in memory of the six million Jews who perished during the Holocaust. This can be done at home or during community events. Never Again! Never Forget!
All are invited to join a special memorial ceremony honoring the memories of victims of terror and fallen Israeli soldiers through candle lighting, prayers, and songs. Jeremy Singer and Tomer Sne will perform special music selections during the memorial service.
Schedule:
Join us for an evening of hope and community as we celebrate Israel’s 78th Independence Day. We will enjoy a falafel dinner from Rami’s, followed by a short video of Israel’s Declaration of Independence and birthday cake! Afterwards, the incredible Klezamir Band will take the lead, carrying us through an unforgettable night of guided Israeli dancing (yes, that includes the hora), all set to the irresistible energy and rhythms of live Israeli music.
Click here to register for dinner, and please click here to volunteer!
Monday – Thursday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Friday, 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
