Washington Wizards’ Deni Avdija commemorated Yom HaShoah last night with a special message on his shoes.
The first round draft pick from Israel entered the court last night wearing all black and had the Hebrew word ‘יזכור’ or “remember”on his shoes.
Avdija is from Beit Zara, Israel and played seven years for Maccabi Tel Aviv before entering the NBA as the 9th overall pick.
Yizkor prayer for the victims of the Holocaust
Yizkor, ‘יזכור’, or “remember,” is also a special prayer said to honor the dead. There is a specific one to recite in honor of the victims of the Holocaust.
תפילות לקרבנות השואה:
אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ אֵל אֱלֹהֵי הָרוּחוֹת לְכָל-בָּשָׂר. תֵּן מְנוּחָה נְכוֹנָה עַל-כַּנְפֵי הַשְּׁכִינָה בְּמַעֲלוֹת קְדוֹשִים וּטְהוֹרִים כְּזֹהַר הָרָקִיעַ מַזְהִירִים אֶת-נִשְׁמוֹתֵיהֶם שֶׁל שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת רִבְבוֹת אַלְפֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲנָשִׁים וְנָשִׁים יְלָדִים וִילָדוֹת שֶׁנֶּהֶרְגוּ וְשֶׁנִּטְבְּחוּ וְשֶׁנֶּחְנְקוּ וְשֶׁנִּקְבְּרוּ חַיִּים בִּידֵי מִפְלְצוֹת הַצּוֹרְרִים בְּגָלוּת אֵירוֹפָּה. כֻּלָּם קְדוֹשִׁים וּטְהוֹרִים. בָּהֶם גְּאוֹנִים וְצַדִּיקִים אַרְזֵי הַלְּבָנוֹן וְאַדִּירֵי הַתּוֹרָה. בְּגַן עֵדֶן תְּהֵא מְנוּחָתָם. לָכֵן בַּעַל הָרַחֲמִים יִצְרֹר בִּצְרוֹר הַחַיִּים אֶת-נִשְׁמוֹתָם ה’ הוּא נַחֲלָתָם. וּזְכֹר לָנוּ עֲקֵדָתָם וְתַעֲמֹד לָנוּ וּלְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל זְכוּתָם. אֶרֶץ אַל-תְּכַסִּי דָמָם וְאַל-יְהִי מָקוֹם לְזַעֲקָתָם. בִּזְכוּתָם נִדְחֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יָשׁוּבוּ לַאֲחֻזָּתָם וְהַקְּדוֹשִׁים לְזִכָּרוֹן תָּמִיד נֶגֶד עֵינֶיךָ צִדְקָתָם. יָבוֹאוּ שָׁלוֹם יָנוּחוּ עַל-מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָם. וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן:
Our Father, our King, Power, God of the spirits of all flesh, give proper rest upon the wings of the Divine Presence, on the levels of the holy and pure ones [who] shine like the splendor of the firmament, [for] the souls of the six million Jews, men and women, boys and girls, that were exterminated and slaughtered and asphyxiated and buried alive by the hands of enemy monsters in the exile of Europe. All of them are holy and pure; among them were luminaries and righteous people, ‘cedars of Lebanon’ and giants of Torah. Let their rest be in the Garden of Eden. Hence, Master of mercy, bind their souls with the Binding of life (God). God is their inheritance. And remember for us their sacrifice and let their merit stand for us and for all of Israel. Let the earth not cover their blood and let there not be a place [sufficient] for their cries. In their merit, let the dispersed of Israel return to their possession; and let the holy ones be an everlasting memory – their righteousness in front of Your eyes. May they come to peace, [and] rest upon their places of repose. And let us say Amen.
יזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים אֶת כָּל הַנְשָׁמוֹת שֶׁל כָּל קְהִלּוֹת בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּגּוֹלַת אֵירוֹפָּה שֶׁהֻעֲלוּ עַל מוֹקֵד בִּשְׁנוֹת הַשּׁוֹאָה תַּ”שׁ-תַּשׁ”ה. שִׁשָּׁה מִלְיוֹן אֲנָשִׁים וְנָשִׁים, יְלָדִים וִילָדוֹת, בַּחוּרִים וּבְתוּלוֹת, זָקֵן וָטַף, שׁנֶהֶרְגוּ וְשֶׁנִּטְבְּחוּ בְּאַכְזָרִיּוּת אֲיוּמָה וְנִרְצְחוּ בְּרֶצַח הֲמוֹנִים בִּמְקוֹמוֹת מְגוּרֵיהֶם בֶּעָרִים, בַּעֲיָרוֹת וּבַכְּפָרִים, וְיִתְרָם הוּבְלוּ לְמַחֲנוֹת הָרִכּוּז וְנִסְפּוּ בְּמִיתוֹת מְשֻׁנּוֹת וְנוֹרָאוֹת, וְנִשְּׂרְפוּ לְאֵפָר בְּכִבְשָׁנֵי-הָאֵשׁ שׁל מַחֲנוֹת הַהַשְׁמָדָה הָאֲיֻמִּים בְּגֶרְמַנְיָה וּבְפּוֹלִין וּבִשְׁאָר אֲרָצוֹת בִּידֵי עַם הַמְּרַצְּחִים הַגֶּרְמָנִי יַחַד עִם עוֹזְרָיו הָרוֹצְחִים מִשְּׁאָר הָעַמִּים, שׁהָיוּ בְּעֵצָה אַחַת לְהַשְׁמִיד וְלַהֲרֹג וּלְאַבֵּד אֶת הָעָם הַיְּהוּדִי וְלִמְחוֹת אֶת זֵכֶר הַיַּהֲדוּת וּלְכַלּוֹת כָּל אֲשֶׁר בְּשֵׁם יִשׂרָאֵל יִקָּרֵא.
Remember, God, all of the souls of all of the congregations of the House of Israel in the exile of Europe, that were raised upon the pyre during the years of the Holocaust, 5700-5705. Six million men and women, boys and girls, youths and maidens, the old and the infant, that were exterminated and slaughtered with terrible cruelty and murdered, through mass murder in the places of their residence, in cities and in villages; and the remainder transported to concentration camps and slain with terrible and strange ways of killing and burnt to ashes in the fiery ovens of the terrible extermination camps in Germany and in Poland and in other lands; by the hands of the murderous German nation together with their helpers, the murderers from other nations, who were of one mind to destroy, to exterminate, and to do away with the Jewish people, and to erase the memory of Judaism, and to terminate all who are called by the name of Israel.
אֵל נְקָמוֹת, שׁוֹפֵט הָאָרֶץ זְכוֹר נָא אֶת נַחֲלֵי הַדָּם שֶׁנִּשְׁפַּךְ כַּמַּיִם, דְמֵי אָבוֹת וּבָנִים, אִמָּהוֹת וְעוֹלְלֵיהֶם, רַבָּנָן וְתַלְמִידֵיהֶם וְהָשֵׁב גְּמוּל שִׁבְעָתַיִם לְצוֹרְרֵי עַמְּךָ. שַׁוְעַת “שְׁמַע יִשְּרָאֵל” שֶׁזָּעֲקוּ הַלְּקוּחִים לַמָּוֶת, אַל תִּדּוֹם, וְאֶנְקַת הַמְּעוּנִּים תַּעֲלֶה לִפְנֵי כִּסֵּא כְּבוֹדֶךָ, לִנְקוֹם, בִּמְהֵרָה בְּיָמֵינוּ לְעֵינֵינוּ, אֶת נִקְמַת דַּם בָּנֶיךָ וּבְנוֹתֶיךָ הַקְּדוֹשׁים וְהַטְּהוֹרִים, שׁלֹּא זָכוּ לְקֶבֶר יִשְׂרָאֵל, כַּכָּתוּב: כִּי דַּם עֲבָדָיו יִקּוֹם וְנָקָם יָשִׁיב לְצָרָיו, וְכִפֵּר אַדְמָתוֹ עַמּוֹ.
Power of vengeances, Judge of the earth, please remember the rivers of blood that were spilled like water, the blood of fathers and sons, mothers and their babes, our rabbis and their students; and pay back upon the enemies of Your people seven times their due. Let not the invocation of ‘Shema Yisrael’ be silent from those that were taken to [their] death; and raise up the howls of the tortured ones in front of the throne of Your honor, to – speedily in our days and in front of our eyes – avenge the blood of Your holy and pure sons and daughters, who did not merit to [receive] a Jewish funeral. As it is written (Deuteronomy 32:43), “for the blood of His servants will He avenge, and He will pay back vengeance on His enemies, and His land will atone for His people.”
Source: Sefaria.org
