Yom HaShoah

Holocaust Remembrance Day — the 27th of Nisan, established by the Knesset in 1953.

By The Editors

Holidays · 3 minute read

Photograph

Summary. Yom HaZikaron LaShoah V'LaGevurah — "Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day" — was established by the Israeli Knesset in 1953 and falls on the 27th of Nisan, a week after the end of Pesach. The date was chosen to coincide approximately with the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of April 1943. In Israel, sirens sound at 10:00 AM for two minutes, during which the entire country comes to a standstill — traffic stops, pedestrians stand silently, businesses pause. In the diaspora, Yom HaShoah is marked with synagogue services, candle lighting (six candles for the six million murdered), reading of names, and educational programs.

Why This Date

The choice of 27 Nisan was contested. Some Israeli Knesset members proposed the 14th of Nisan (the date the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began) — but that conflicted with Pesach. Some proposed the 9th of Av (Tisha B'Av), the traditional Jewish day of mourning — but the Knesset's secular majority resisted incorporating the Holocaust into the traditional calendar. The 27th of Nisan was selected as a compromise: a week after Pesach (the festival of freedom), in proximity to the Warsaw Uprising's general timeframe. The traditional Orthodox response has been variable — some Haredi communities prefer to mourn the Holocaust on the 10th of Tevet or Tisha B'Av, regarding the choice of an additional date as a modern innovation; most Modern Orthodox communities observe Yom HaShoah alongside the traditional fast days.

In Israel

The day begins the evening before with a state ceremony at Yad Vashem (the Holocaust memorial museum and research institute in Jerusalem). The President speaks; six survivors light six torches representing the six million. The next morning, the country observes the two-minute siren at 10:00 AM. Public entertainment is closed; television and radio play Holocaust-themed programming throughout the day. Schools, businesses, and government institutions hold ceremonies. The day is one of the most observed in the Israeli secular calendar.

In the Diaspora

Communities organize Yom HaShoah services and educational programs. The reading of names — sometimes for hours, often with each name accompanied by a candle — is a common practice. Survivor speakers (where survivors are still living) anchor many programs. The lighting of six candles for the six million is the most visually distinctive ritual. Many congregations include specific prayers and readings from Ani Ma'amin (the Maimonidean Twelfth Principle of Faith, sung famously by Jews on the way to the gas chambers — "I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah"), El Maleh Rachamim, and the Kaddish.

The Theological Conversation

The Holocaust has been the central theological challenge of post-1945 Jewish thought. Rabbi Irving (Yitz) Greenberg's principle that "no statement, theological or otherwise, should be made that would not be credible in the presence of the burning children" has shaped contemporary Jewish theology. Elie Wiesel's response to the question of belief — "I have not lost faith in God. I have moments of anger and protest. Sometimes I've been closer to him for that reason" — is widely quoted. Hasidic theology has often resisted theodicizing the Holocaust; the response is moral, not metaphysical. The conversation continues.

Where Denominations Diverge

Universal observance across denominations, with variation in form. Reform congregations often hold the most extensive Yom HaShoah services. Conservative observance is substantial. Modern Orthodox observance is widespread; Haredi communities are more variable, with some preferring traditional fast days for Holocaust mourning. The State of Israel's observance is essentially civic and crosses all denominations.

Sources

Israeli Knesset Law on Yom HaShoah (1953, amended 1959).

Elie Wiesel, Night (1958).

Yitz Greenberg, 'Cloud of Smoke, Pillar of Fire' (1977).

Yad Vashem (yadvashem.org) — the Israeli Holocaust authority.