Remembering the Holocaust in the time of COVID-19

MEMBERS of the Australian Jewish community are invited to come together remotely on Monday, April 20 to commemorate Yom Hashoah.

In ordinary times, the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (JBOD) co-hosts three major events, collectively attended by over 1500 members of the community, including politicians, diplomats, councillors, NGO leaders and representatives of other faith and cultural groups.

As social distancing restrictions prevent this form of commemoration taking place this year, JBOD has arranged a virtual participation option instead on its website.

“Streaming the Yom Hashoah commemoration allows us to maintain our decades-long tradition of coming together as a community, albeit virtually, to remember those who perished in the Holocaust and honour the survivors,” said JBOD president Lesli Berger.

Cayli Barr, head of Youth Hear’s Yom Hashoah subcommittee.

“It is increasingly important to reflect – even within our homes – on the magnitude of what occurred, to acknowledge the resilience of our survivors and to highlight that the Holocaust is where racial hatred can lead.”

The 30-minute commemoration will include a brief keynote address by journalist Fiona Harari, author of We Are Here: Stories from Australia’s Oldest Holocaust Survivors, who will share her insights from interviewing Holocaust survivors in Sydney and Melbourne for her book; as well as remarks by Berger, JBOD CEO Vic Alhadeff, and Shoah Remembrance chair Danny Hochberg.

Viewers will be encouraged to participate in the candle-lighting part of the ceremony by lighting their own candle at home. Kaddish will be recited by cantor Zvi Teichtahl.

In another online commemoration aimed to foster meaningful engagement by distance, Youth Holocaust Education and Remembrance (Youth HEAR) is releasing a video on their Facebook page on Tuesday, introduced by head of the organisation’s Yom Hashoah subcommittee, Cayli Barr.

Comprising a montage of individuals standing separately behind a lit candle to commemorate Yom Hashoah, the video is also a call to action: Youth HEAR’s online movement, #LightACandle, encourages others to share their story and reason for commemorating Yom Hashoah online, and post a photo of themselves lighting a candle at home.

In Melbourne, meanwhile, candle lightings and other activities on Jewish radio and online will also enable the community to participate from the safety of their households.

The Jewish Community Council of Victoria and the Jewish Holocaust Centre (JHC), which co-host Melbourne’s annual Yom Hashoah commemoration, have announced that instead there will be a J-AIR broadcast, including a virtual candle lighting.

This will be followed by a Zoom event organised by Jewish platform LaunchPad, partnering with JHC, in which three generations will share their feelings about the Shoah online and light candles.

JHC director Jayne Josem told The AJN coronavirus “will not stop our unique community, with its survivors and descendants, from coming together to remember the Holocaust on Yom Hashoah. Bring a candle and join us for these special events”.

JBOD’s Yom Hashoah commemoration can be viewed at www.nswjbd.org at 7pm on Monday, April 20, and will remain on the website after Monday.

Together We Remember will be broadcast on J-AIR 87.8FM on Monday, April 20, 5.15-6.15pm. Info at www.j-air.com.au or www.jhc.org.au. The LaunchPad interactive Yom Hashoah gathering will be held from 6-6.45pm. Bookings essential: events.humanitix.com/yom-hashoah-2020.

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