January 27

Holocaust Remembrance Day/ Yom HaShoah

During World War II the German Army killed millions of people, mostly Jews, under the pretense of "cleansing" the Aryan race.

The victims of the Holocaust include Jews, Poles, Slavs, Soviet POWs, Roma, the disabled, homosexuals, Freemasons, and Jehovah's Witnesses.

There were other groups included, as anyone who resisted or caused trouble within Germany during the War could be sent to the camps.

On January 27, 1945, Auschwitz, the extermination camp reported to have the highest death toll, was liberated by the Soviets.

A Way to Celebrate

Not all holidays are happy ones. Likewise, not all ways to celebrate are joyful.

In Israel, flags are flown at half mast, and the country remembers the atrocities of World War II all day. The radio plays softer music, the television airs documentaries about the Holocaust and entertainment venues are closed. at 10AM the air raid sirens sound for two minutes and all the people of the country, no matter where they are, stop and pay a moment of silence as tribute to those lost in the Holocaust.

A moment of silence and a day of reflection is appropriate for this day.