Yom Hashoa here and there

by Gary Greene

3 synagogues come togther to remember the 6 million at a joint Yom Hashoa service.  I was asked to reflect upon how Yom Hashoa is observed in Israel as opposed to the way we observe it here.  Since I tied my remarks to our visit to the Israel Museum, I thought I would share them with you.  Here they are:

I studied in Israel this past February as part of the Hebrew School Principals cohort of the Leadership Institute.  We visited The Israel Museum in Jerusalem.  It has just been recently renovated, expanded and now open to the public.  One of the wings contains Jewish life cycle and holiday displays.  Along the walls holiday artifacts are exhibited like Hanukiyas and Purim Megillahs, but in the center the two newest holidays, Yom Hashoa and Israel Independence Day are highlighted. 

Here in America unless you attend a Yom Hashoa service like ours, the day passes without notice.  The Yom Hashoa exhibit shows how differently the average Israeli marks Yom Hashoa than we do.  It touches every Israeli's life.  On a never-ending  video loop, we see a major highway with cars and trucks zooming to their destination.  A siren sounds and all traffic stops, drivers and passengers leave their vehicles, and stand at silent attention until another siren beckons them back to their cars and trucks.

As I stood at that virtual Yom Hashoa memorial in Jerusalem, my thoughts turned a Yizkor prayer by Jules Harlow found in Siddur Sim Shalom.

“Lamentation and bitter weeping have been ours, in refusing to be comforted for those who are no more.

Yet, we shall survive to sing, to flourish, to turn our mourning into gladness.

In spite of every obstacle we shall endure, nurturing our children to overcome despair.

In spite of every obstacle, we shall praise sustained by Your promise of redemption.

Our people survived the sword…

Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy, for You redeem our lives from destruction.”

Those words of prayer have taken on even more meaning tonight as I learned about our candle lighters lives (either survivors and 2nd generation) written and then delivered by our teenagers. I appreciate the candle lighters for sharing their story of triumph over despair and appreciate our young men and women for recording them to learn from those lives for us and posterity.

I conclude with the traditional words of consolation to us all: “May God comfort you along with all the mourners of Jerusalem and Zion.” And let us say amen.