Dear all,
Today, the 27th of the Hebrew month of Nisan (in 2022, the 28th of April), we commemorate Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day.
When Hitler came to power in 1933, there were approximately 9.5 million Jews in Europe. By 1945, two out of every three Jews, roughly 6 Million, were murdered.
Two out of every three. Not just gone…. Murdered.
This star above symbolizes the remnant. Only two of every six lights survived.
No, it is not possible to comprehend. And it leaves a huge onus, a scared responsibility on us.
How do we best honor those who perished?
Each time we light our Shabbat candles, we erase darkness.
Each time we sing a Hebrew melody, we defy our oppressors.
Each time we attend Torah study, we remind Hitler that he lost.
Each time we stand up for human dignity, we destroy ignorance.
Each time we plant a tree in Israel, we sow seeds of the future.
Each time we teach our children to harness light, we embrace hope.
And each moment in time we stop to remember the victims, we vow “Never again.”
With love, prayers, and Shalom,
Rabbi Zach Shapiro
