As Yom Hashoah,
Holocaust Remembrance Day, began in Israel,
US Secretary of State John Kerry was in the Middle East
again meeting with Abbas,
and
Kassam rockets were again fired from Gaza into Israel.
While a select few attended the main ceremony at Yad Vashem,
thousands watched it live on television as
President Shimon Peres began his speech:
“The Holocaust will not sink into the dark hole of history.
It is here with us, burning, real…
It floats like a ghost in the barracks of the camps.”
How does one choose a meaningful way to mark Yom Hashoah?
This sign on the wall outside of the Great Synagogue
and its counterpart in Hebrew shone brightly in the dark.
The flag on the Knesset Building was lowered.
Restaurants closed their doors and locked their gates by 8:00 pm.
Where does one go?
This year Israel Forever, Nefesh B’Nefesh and the Jerusalem Municipality
sponsored an event that attracted hundreds of young people.
After a slide presentation and slow music,
six large candles were lit
in memory of the six million who died.
Then there was a minute of silence,
slowly and silently, the overcrowded,
packed audience spontaneously rose to their feet.
It was an impressive sight.
The room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
The Facebook advert brought in hundreds of young people
who wanted to take part in a meaningful way.
The Adopt a Safta program was then presented to the audience.
It could be an important “link” that President Peres spoke of,
a link of the generations, beneficial to all.
Yom Hashoah, here in Jerusalem, Israel
was a time to remember.
Never again.
