NEVER FORGET.
Today, April 21st 2020 is Yom HaShoah and this year every ceremony and meaningful resources are all online.
Find your virtual ceremony and other incredible resources to support you wherever you are during the quarantine. Even while social distancing, we remember how Jews and mankind have suffered. During this difficult time, ChiTribe is here to help you commemorate Yom HaShoah 2020 in the morning, night, or whenever it works for you. Find all the virtual Jewish events in Chicago and beyond on the ChiTribe Calendar.
United States National Holocaust Museum 2020 Days of Remembrance
April 21st, 10am-11am Central
Every year, our nation comes together to remember the victims of the Holocaust, honor the survivors, and pay tribute to the liberators during the annual Days of Remembrance. While COVID-19 might keep us apart this year, please join us for a virtual commemoration as we reaffirm our commitment to keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive.
Illinois Holocaust Museum Yom Hashoah 2020
April 21st, 6:30pm Central
Join the Illinois Holocaust Musuem Yom HaShoah 2020 live stream on Facebook at 6:30pm central.
Hear Ralph’s Story 10am In observance of Yom Ha-Shoah, this week’s Coffee with a Survivor will be on Tuesday. Join us at 10 AM to hear Survivor Ralph Rehbock share his story. Ralph Rehbock was born in Gotha, Germany. In December 1938, after synagogues were burned and Jewish businesses destroyed during “Kristallnacht,” Ralph and his family fled to America, in part due to a daring, last-minute decision by his mother. With luck and chance, this decision allowed the family to escape death in Germany. Ralph is an active member of the community, speaking extensively at the local and state level about his experiences and the lessons of the Holocaust. Tune in to hear Ralph’s story on Facebook tomorrow at 10 AM.
Friends of the IDF 2020 Yom HaShoah Memorial
April 21st, 12-1pm Central
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps and the end of World War II. Join us here to honor the memory of those who perished during the darkest days of the Jewish people and pay tribute to those who survived to make a better world for us all. Featuring: In 2017, Holocaust survivor Bronia Brandman, 89, of New York returned to the notorious Auschwitz-Birkenau death camps for the first time since her liberation, accompanied by a delegation of IDF officers and FIDF supporters. “I never wished to return to that place of our degradation and annihilation, but to return in the presence of our noblest, the bravest of the brave – our IDF soldiers, allowed my spirit to soar with pride and hope.”
March of the Living 2020 Live
April 21st, 6pm Central
Virtual March of the Living Join this virtual remembrance event featuring a special address by the Israeli President and interviews with survivors, educators, March of the Living alumni, and leaders. It will also remain available for viewing after the end of the broadcast if the time doesn’t work for your community
Instagram Resources
Resources Online for Yom HaShoah
Up from the grave to denounce a naked emperor by Amy Waldman
“Helen was the mother with the musical laugh and long hair worn in a braid down her back. My mother had short hair and a short fuse. I wanted the mother with a musical laugh and long hair. I loved being at the Sperlings’ house. I spent a lot of time there because Paul was one of my best friends until we turned 5. His sister Franny was two years older. She was beautiful and way too sophisticated to hang out with four-year-olds.” Read More>>
Remembrance and Celebration Resources by Josh Traulsen. The first section of this article published last year gives an overview of what Yom Hashoah is and some tips for programming.
Virtual Resource Hub A compiled list of digital resources and experiences offered to the public by a variety of organizations, museums, and communities.
Holocaust Resource Center – Speakers Bureau. Watch video testimonies of Holocaust survivors.
Holocaust Films on Netflix and Amazon. Ten iconic movies that can be streamed for a viewing event.
Online Exhibitions at Yad Vashem Go on a virtual tour of Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Israel.
Virtual March of the Living Join this virtual remembrance event featuring a special address by the Israeli President and interviews with survivors, educators, March of the Living alumni, and leaders. It will also remain available for viewing after the end of the broadcast if the time doesn’t work for your community.
Fundacion Bama’s Instagram Spanish Speaking Resources, videos of young people reading letters of Holocaust victims.
Yom Hashoah Online Ceremonies and Resources from My Jewish Learning
Written in Pencil in the Sealed Railway-Car: Using poetry and the Bible to confront our responsibility to remember – 12 p.m.: Join My Jewish Learning where we will analyze the poetry of survivor Dan Pagis as a window into his theological claims against God and to explore what it means to “remember.” Join via Zoom.
Yom Hashoah Cello Concert with Aaron Fried: On Tuesday, April 21 at 6 p.m. Eastern time, My Jewish Learning will be hosting a performance of songs of mourning, resistance and hope that have been arranged for solo cello by Aaron Fried. Watch the concert via Zoom here.
Yad Vashem: Israel’s national Holocaust museum is inviting the public to participate in an international campaign to record a reading of the names of Holocaust victims and share the video on social media using the hashtags #RememberingFromHome and #ShoahNames. Click here for more information.
The Holocaust Center for Humanity: The Seattle-based Holocaust education center will be hosting a live virtual program on April 21 at noon Pacific time. For details click here.
UJA-Federation of New York: The New York Jewish federation will host a virtual Yom Hashoah program on April 21 at 3 p.m. Eastern featuring Holocaust survivor Bernie Igielski and words of inspiration from Rabbi Kenneth Hain. Register here for Zoom link.
Selfhelp Community Services: The New York nonprofit serving Holocaust survivors will host a Yom Hashoah program based on the work of Witness Theater, a program that brings survivors and student actors together on stage to share stories of survival. Join the program on April 20 at 7 p.m. Eastern on Selfhelp’s website.
Sid Jacobson JCC: An intergenerational observance with Holocaust survivors, and American and Israeli teens. Join via Zoom on April 21 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.
Teach the Shoah: Light from the Darkness, a virtual ritual of remembrance, will take place on April 20 at 7 p.m. Central time. Modeled on the Passover Seder, the ritual features song and story, ritual and remembrance.
Israel Memorial Siren: Join a global audience April 20 at 12:45 p.m. Eastern for a live event during the sounding of Israel’s Holocaust memorial siren, including candle lighting in memory of the victims and the recitation of Kaddish. six million, say Kaddish, and hear a Survivor’s testimony in-English. The event will take place on Monday, April 20th 12:45 p.m. (EDT). For more information click here.
Sutton Place Synagogue: The New York synagogue will be hosting an online commemoration that on its website on April 20 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.
Adas Israel Congregation: Live from Washington D.C., Adas Israel will host a commemoration on April 21 at 7 Eastern on its Facebook page.
Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation: JPEF will be hosting a program on April 22 at 11 a.m. Pacific time.
Habonim Dror North America: Join others in commemorating Yom Hashoah with Rachel Roth and her family on April 20 3:30 p.m. Eastern. Register here to join.
JRoots: The organization’s Global Day of Testimony will provide an opportunity to hear from and ask questions of survivors from home. The program will run from April 20-22. For more information click here.
Reading of the Names FACEBOOK LIVESTREAM: 22nd Annual West Side Communal Observance of Yom Hashoah. This year, the all-night, all-day Reading of the Names by congregations and Jewish organizations of the Upper West Side will take place on Facebook Live beginning at 8 p.m. on Monday, April 20 and continuing until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21. Join us to bear witness and commemorate those lost in the Shoah. The Reading of the Names will be punctuated throughout the day with speakers and teachers — a complete schedule is available on the event page. Anyone is welcome to add names by posting a comment during the course of the Reading of the Names. People are also encouraged to include photos and family stories as we move to this online platform, enabling participation in a new way.
Museum of Jewish Heritage: Annual Gathering of Remembrance on April 19 at 2 p.m. Speakers include Holocaust survivors and their family members, Ambassador Dani Dayan – Consul General of Israel in New York, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Michael Burstyn, Steven Skybell, Jessica Shaw, and many others. This program will be presented on their Facebook page, YouTube channel, and website homepage.
Birmingham (AL) Holocaust Education Center: The Birmingham (AL) Holocaust Education Center has an upcoming Community Education and Bearing Witness Series, which begins next Thursday, April 23 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. The session, “Collaboration and Its Limits” will be facilitated by Rabbi Steven Jacobs, University of Alabama. Click here to register.
Congregation Beth Ahm: Join Beth Ahm of West Bloomfield, Michigan, for a reading of Megillat Hashoah online on April 20 at 7 p.m. Eastern. To register click here.
The Holocaust Museum of Houston: The museum’s virtual observance will be held on April 19 at 3 p.m. Central on its website and on their YouTube channel.
JFCS Holocaust Center: The San Francisco Holocaust education center will hold a reading of the names of Holocaust victims and a community Yizkor service on April 20. beginning at 4 p.m. Pacific time. For more information click here.
Jewish Federation of Charleston: On April 19 at 4 p.m. Eastern join Charleston’s virtual Yom Hashoah gathering via Zoom. For more information click here.
JCRC of Greater Washington: On April 19 at 1 p.m. Eastern join the JCRC online for their annual Yom Hashoah commemoration. Community-Wide Commemoration. Sign up here to receive a link to the live stream and the program booklet.
Jewish Federation of San Diego: The southern California federation will be hosting several programs beginning April 19. To learn more click here.
Sixth and I: On April 20, this Washington, D.C., the congregation will host a virtual gathering at 7 p.m. Eastern. For more information click here.
JCRC of Greater Washington: On April 23 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern, the JCRC of Greater Washington will host a conversation with Jennifer Rosner, debut novelist of “The Yellow Bird Sings.” For more information click here.
Together We Remember: Looking to create your own local program? Check out a slew of online virtual resources compiled by Together We Remember.
Find all the Jewish Chicago Events Online on the ChiTribe Calendar
