Please join us for this poignant and meaningful tribute that brings together the community to reflect and strengthen our resolve at a difficult time of unprecedented antisemitism around the globe.
Location
Virtual | Link will be emailed upon registration
In conjunction with our annual Yom HaShoah Commemoration, we are supporting the following in-person and virtual programs:
Holocaust Remembrance Day Service, sponsored by the JCRC, 3GDC and Sixth & I, will be held at Sixth & I on Monday, May 6, 7:00 PM. The service will commemorate the 81st anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising with speakers who have a connection to the ghetto. Attendees will come together in music, prayer and a candle lighting ceremony to commemorate those who perished in the Shoah. All are welcome. Get your free tickets here.
Yom HaShoah Yellow Candles
Seaboard Region of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs (FJMC) provides Yom HaShoah Yellow Candles that are now ready for pickup at Bender JCC, Edlavitch DCJCC, Pozez JCC and Leisure World. Donations are encouraged to support the JSSA Holocaust Survivor Program. Candles should be lit on Sunday evening, May 5 and placed in your window for all to see.
Unto Every Person There is a Name, the annual reading of Shoah victims’ names, co-sponsored by B’nai B’rith International and the JCRC. Names will be read by elected officials from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia and students from local Jewish Day Schools. This moving program will be running on our website throughout Yom HaShoah and will be available on our YouTube channel afterwards.
Zikaron BaSalon, literally meaning "remembrance in the living room" in Hebrew, is an idea born out of the understanding that modern society’s connection with the memory of the Holocaust is significantly deteriorating. Alongside formal events, Zikaron BaSalon offers a meaningful and intimate way to commemorate this day and address its implications through discussions at home among family, friends and guests. We invite you to take part in the commemoration by hosting or participating in a gathering of Zikaron BaSalon. Contact Adam Odesser for additional information.
Dor L’Dor, Connecting Our Youth with Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants. In collaboration with synagogues throughout Greater Washington, the JCRC offers intimate opportunities for our Jewish students to hear from and speak with Holocaust survivors and their descendants around the week of Yom HaShoah. Contact Sara Winkelman for more information.
As a service to our community, we are providing a list of Yom HaShoah-related events being held throughout our community in the coming weeks. If you would like to share information about a program, please email us.
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Irena's Vow Irena’s Vow tells the harrowing true story of Irena Gut Opdyke, a Polish nurse honored as Righteous Among the Nations for her courageous efforts that saved Polish Jews during World War II. Irena’s story of bravery and courage is a poignant reminder of the power of our allies, and the profound impact they have on our lives. Watch the trailer here. The movie will be screened at theaters across the region only on April 15 and 16. Click here for locations and showtimes. |
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Zikaron BaSalon: The Story of Ruth Luftman nee Hamburger, Mother of BI Congregant Eric Luftman In 2016, Ruth's son Eric, a B'nai Israel congregant, started researching his mother’s story, transcribing and translating 68 letters his mother had kept throughout her survival of the Holocaust. Along the way he befriended Hans-Georg Schmitz, a retired German minister who, with others in his community, was organizing a memorial event for the Jews of his area and helped in the translation of some of the letters. Through the letters, Eric gains valuable insight on the lives of his family under the Vichy regime, and their dedication to their only child, Ruth. |
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"3 Yoms" Shabbat There are times in our lives when words fail to describe what we may be feeling. This is true for the commemorations of Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron, and Yom HaAtzmaut. Words alone cannot describe the depths of our sorrow during the Holocaust and war of Independence, nor the heights of our joy after the establishment of the state of Israel. Thus, we remember with music and poetry so that we may more fully give honor to these events. |
Thank you for supporting the JCRC’s annual Yom Ha'Shoah programming and intensive comprehensive efforts to combat antisemitism in our local Jewish community. It is the JCRC’s most sacred obligation to commemorate Yom Ha'Shoah, to remember the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust and to recognize and support the survivors and their loved ones among us.
Today, particularly following October 7th, our community faces unprecedented antisemitism, including in our public schools. The JCRC is determined to address this disturbing trend and act to reverse it.
Your financial support enables us to commemorate Yom Ha'Shoah, as well as to continue our work to combat antisemitism and increase teen education projects specifically designed to promote awareness and tolerance. We will continue to spearhead our community’s response to antisemitism with relentless resolve and to pursue a warmer, more caring and inclusive Greater Washington community.
Help us fulfill this most solemn duty of remembrance by making a contribution in support of the JCRC’s Yom Ha'Shoah commemoration and teen educational programming. We hope you will join us at our community commemoration online on Sunday, May 5th, 2:00 PM and at the 3GDC in-person gathering planned for Monday, May 6th, 7:00 PM at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue.
Thank you for your partnership and support. If you would like to make a donation at this time, follow this link.