For
those of you who are unfamiliar with this day The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum summarizes this somber anniversary in the following way:
The internationally recognized date for Holocaust Remembrance Day
corresponds to the 27th day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar. It marks the
anniversary of the Warsaw ghetto uprising. In Hebrew, Holocaust Remembrance Day is called Yom Hashoah. When
the actual date of Yom Hashoah falls on a Friday, the state of Israel observes
Yom Hashoah on the preceding Thursday. When it falls on a Sunday, Yom Hashoah
is observed on the following Monday.
There
is no set list of rules or means of observance for the general public and eve
the means of observance in the Jewish community outside of Israel varies.
However, in Israel, it is a national memorial day
and public holiday. And while many in the United States have a certain
perception when it comes to the term memorial day, this day is marked a little
differently in Israel. In fact, there is a moment during the day that people
outside of the holy land would find hard to believe as the Jewish State
literally comes to a halt and honors this day in the best way that they can… in
silence.
For
me, today is one that I take a moment to appreciate all that I have and all
that I have been given, large and small. On this day, as the hours pass, I grow
increasingly grateful for the most overlooked gift which we are all given…
life. It is that gift which we all have in common that makes us step back for a
few moments and think about the ways that people embrace that gift living a
loving and faithful life and those that use that gift to persecute others for
the differences that they perceive in them. It is that dichotomy that forces
us, at times, to fight for the freedom to live.
With
the setting of the sun, the day came to an end and brought with it the dark of
night that so many millions never escaped. But tonight we are grateful for the
stars in the sky that will be only temporary and watch over us as we sleep.
When we wake in the morning we will have the opportunity to once again embrace
that precious gift that continues to both amaze and confuse us. We have another
day to live and a life to fill with memories.
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