The Jewish calendar is full of commemorative dates. The Torah commands us to celebrate Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, Passover, Sukkot, Shmini Atzeret, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur. Later, the rabbis added Purim, Simchat Torah, Hanukkah, Tu Bishvat, Lag B’Omer, and the commemoration of Tisha b’Av, the day that commemorates the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

For many years, the list remained unchanged. It wasn’t until the second half of the 20th century that new dates were added to the calendar, which are associated with the two great events that marked the history of the Jewish people in that century: the Holocaust and the rebirth of the State of Israel.

«Yom Hashoa ve Hagevura» is the day that commemorates the Holocaust and the heroism of those who fought against barbarism. In 1951, the Israeli parliament designated the 27th of Nisan to commemorate the Jewish uprising in the Warsaw ghetto. They had originally considered the 13th of Nisan, the day when German forces began the systematic and total destruction of the ghetto, but opted for the 27th so as not to interfere with the holiday of Passover.

The commemoration of Yom Hashoah begins the day before with ceremonies and remembrance events in all spheres of Israeli society. The following day in Israel, the sound of sirens stops traffic for two minutes, and radio and television stations broadcast commemorative programs all day long. Following the same pattern, non-Orthodox Jewish communities around the world adopted the same day to commemorate the Holocaust. In their synagogues, commemorative texts are read, one or more lamps are lit in memory of the six million victims, and the Maale Rahamim and Kaddish, prayers related to death, are recited. In 1988, the Reform movement published «Six Days of Destruction,» a text written by Elie Wiesel and Rabbi Albert Friedlander, which is read in synagogue on that day as a «Megillah.» Similarly, the Conservative movement created «Megillat HaShoah,» a text developed by a group of rabbis led by Professor Avigdor Shinan, which contains survivor accounts written in a biblical style. Some Orthodox communities, meanwhile, have included the remembrance of the victims of the Shoah on traditional minor fast days, such as the 11th of Tevet, although they do not include any special prayers on that day.

Creating a new commemoration in the Jewish calendar is not simple. All significant dates have gone through a process that has involved adjustments and changes, giving each one its present form. The form has changed, as celebrating Passover today is different from how it was two thousand years ago. But in all cases, the underlying message is the same. The message of Yom Hashoah, and especially what the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising meant, has implications for the Jewish people, both from a national perspective, as their very existence was in danger, and from a religious perspective, as it tested their relationship with the Creator.

Yom Hashoah can have a national character, as they do in Israel, it can have a religious character, as is the case in most synagogues around the world, or it can have both. However, what is important is not so much the form as the substance: remembering the Holocaust is what matters.

By Marcos Gojman

Bibliography: Various sources