Yom Hashoah is the Jewish memorial day for the Holocaust, marked on the 27th of the Hebrew month of Nisan, typically in April. This might sound similar to International Holocaust Remembrance Day which takes place in January, but these are actually two different occasions.
Yom Hashoah is the Jewish community’s day for internal reflection. It’s an opportunity to educate children, share stories, honor the victims of the Holocaust, and recognize the accomplishments of survivors.
In comparison, International Holocaust Remembrance Day is meant for everyone (no matter their religion or ethnicity) to remember the victims of the Holocaust. The UN General Assembly designated that it would fall on January 27th each year to mark the day that the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp was liberated in 1945.
You might be wondering why the names are different. Shoah is a biblical Hebrew word for “catastrophe.” Whereas, Holocaust is a greek term that means “a burnt sacrificial offering to a god.” The word Shoah is used for Yom Hashoah because it centers the experience of the Jewish community.
We use these days for internal reflection and we vow never to forget.
Originally Published Jan 20, 2023 01:23PM EST
