Yom HaShoah in Israel was marked on Tuesday with the traditional sounding of a two-minute long siren when all stop and remember the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis, and honor those who survived the horror. Because of the current coronavirus pandemic and restrictions on gatherings, this year’s usual well-attended ceremonies, including those at the AMIT schools, took place virtually. While the memorials may have gone online, they were no less poignant and heartfelt.
At AMIT Hallel Rechovot, students used testimony for their virtual Yom HaShoah memorial that they gleaned from relationships several 11th and 12th graders formed with local survivors in its “Adopt-a-Survivor” program. The students who went on heritage trips to Poland have forged connections with the survivors. They call them regularly to check up and offer companionship – a great chesed, especially during these fraught times.
One 90-year-old Auschwitz survivor said, “We must be happy, think positive thoughts, and know that we have been through lots of difficulties. We survived the Holocaust and the War of Independence, and we are free. We must be happy and know that with G-d’s help, we will be freed from this current challenge, be free, and be able to say, Am Yisrael Chai.”
In other Yom HaShoah efforts, AMIT ran a workshop for educators on creative writing as it relates to the Holocaust and remembrance, and a session for teachers focusing on the courage and resilience of the youth.
AMIT also joined the organization Tzohar’s Yom HaShoah initiative, “Lighting Six Candles,” which encouraged people to light six candles at home to remember the six million and offered guidance in saying the appropriate prayers.
Please see a related blog written by AMIT Director General Dr. Amnon Eldar
