Overview

Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah in Hebrew) is a national day of commemoration in Israel, on which the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust are memorialized. It is a solemn day, beginning at sunset on the 27th of the month of Nisan and ending the following evening, according to the traditional Jewish custom of marking a day. Places of entertainment are closed and memorial ceremonies are held throughout the country. The central ceremonies, in the evening and the following morning, are held at Yad Vashem and are broadcast on the television. Marking the start of the day-in the presence of the President of the State of Israel and the Prime Minister dignitaries, survivors, children of survivors and their families, gather together with the general public to take part in the memorial ceremony at Yad Vashem in which six torches, representing the six million murdered Jews, are lit. The following morning, the ceremony at Yad Vashem begins with the sounding of a siren for two minutes throughout the entire country. For the duration of the sounding, work is halted, people walking in the streets stop, cars pull off to the side of the road and everybody stands at silent attention in reverence to the victims of the Holocaust. Afterward, the focus of the ceremony at Yad Vashem is the laying of wreaths at the foot of the six torches, by dignitaries and the representatives of survivor groups and institutions. Other sites of remembrance in Israel, such as the Ghetto Fighters' Kibbutz and Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, also host memorial ceremonies, as do schools, military bases, municipalities and places of work. Throughout the day, both the television and radio broadcast programs about the Holocaust. In recent years, other countries and Jewish communities have adopted Yom Hashoah, the 27th of Nisan, to mark their own day of memorial for the victims of the Holocaust.

Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day begins this year on Monday evening, April 24, 2006 and continues Tuesday April 25, 2006

PROGRAM OF EVENTS AT YAD VASHEM

The Eve of Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day

Monday, April 24, 2006
20:00 The opening ceremony of Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day, in the presence of President Moshe Katsav, Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and the Speaker of the Knesset, Warsaw Ghetto Square

Admission to the opening ceremony is by invitation only Limited seating available. For invitations, call: 02-6443570/1

22:00 Symposium: “The Human Spirit in the Shadow of Death” – Good and Evil Through the Lens of the Shoah, with the participation of Prof. Ella Belfer, Rabbi Dr. Daniel Hartman, Dr. Rachel Korazim, Shoham Smith, Roman Frister and Muki Tzur, moderated by Emanuel Halperin, Auditorium

Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day, Tuesday, April 25, 2006

10:00 Siren

10:02 Wreath-laying ceremony with the participation of the President, Acting Prime Minister, Speaker of the Knesset, President of the Supreme Court, Chairman of the Jewish Agency, Chief of the General Staff, Chief of Police, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Mayor of Jerusalem, public figures, representatives of survivor organizations, school children and delegations from all over the country, Warsaw Ghetto Square

10:30-12:30 “Unto Every Person There Is A Name” - recitation of Holocaust Victims’ names by members of the public, Hall of Remembrance,

11:00 “Unto Every Person There Is A Name” - recitation of Holocaust victims’ names in the presence of the President, Acting Prime Minister, Speaker of the Knesset and public figures, Knesset

11:00-15:00 Special screening of Holocaust-related films, Visual Center

13:00 Main memorial ceremony, Hall of Remembrance

16.00 Memorial ceremony for former members of the Jewish Resistance in France, Auditorium

17:30 Ceremony for youth movements in the presence of the Minister of Education, Culture and Sport Mr. Meir Sheetrit MK, in conjunction with the Youth and Social Administration and Youth Movement Council, Valley of the Communities

20:30 Second Generation: The Significance and the Obligation – gathering of the Dorot Hemshech Association, with the participation of Carmit Guy, Dr. David Silberklang, Savyon Liebrecht, Esther Lidar and Dr. Yossi Shuv, moderated by Avner Shalev.
15 Jabotinsky St., Herzliya

For details and registration: dorot_hemshech@walla.com

20:30 Boulevard des Misères - Special concert marking sixty years since the liberation of Holland, Gerard Behar Center, 11 Bezalel St., Jerusalem. Admission free. For tickets, tel: 02-6251139.

Meetings with survivors, multimedia workshops, guided tours and creative workshops will be taking place throughout the day at the International School for Holocaust Studies. For details, call 02-6443630.

An exhibition of posters created by students will be displayed in the International School for Holocaust studies and the Family Plaza

The public is invited to visit the “Montparnasse Déporté” exhibition on display in the Exhibitions Pavilion

Additional information
On Remembrance Day Eve, Monday, April 24, 2006 Yad Vashem will be open to the public from 9:00 until 12:00.

At 17:30, invitees to the opening ceremony will be admitted to the site.

At 21:30, the site will be opened to those wishing to attend the symposium.

On Remembrance Day, Tuesday, April 25, 2006 Yad Vashem will be open to the public from 8:00 until 19:00.

Private vehicles will not be admitted to Yad Vashem on Remembrance Day Eve or on Remembrance Day itself.

Parking facilities are available on Mt. Herzl.

Transportation from Mt. Herzl to Yad Vashem will be available to the public for all Remembrance Day events.

All events are open to the public

www.yadvashem.org