April 7th was Holocaust remembrance day. Every year, I look forward to this day. Why? I am not a practicing Jew. I was born and raised Christian. Heck, last year was the first time I learned I was of Jewish decent. So why do I look forward to this day? Before this year, I always thought it was important to remember the 6 million that perished. This year is was different.
This year:
-I learned I had family members that died in the camps.
-I created a very doable project to help in the field of Forensics and in Shoah studies
-I signed up for a Jewish learning class and learned 5 million others perished. (I knew others had died, but did not know the number was that high)
-I attended a Yom HaShoah service
This service was put on by a local temple, and I was in awe. I went with the idea it was a remembrance service and names would be read. In the Christian church, the remembrance services I have gone to, in such for those that lost their lives in 9/11, was quite different. The pastor would give a sermon, people would cry, verses read, lights are low, and soft hymns are sung. It's a sad experience. One which is quite impacting on a person. This service was different, at least for me.
Pictures from camps, historical pictures and facts, and artifacts. The candle lighting, the prayers, but most of all giving the individuals a name. I stayed a listened to names and learned camp names I have never heard before. I was asked to read names. I was nervous. What if I couldn't pronounce their names? What if I messed up? Would I dishonor a congregation member? But worse, would I be dishonoring and not doing justice to those individual's who I read? I took my place, read, and my heart broke. Age 2, 7, 56, 74... Dachau, Treblinka, Auschwitz... Line after line... person after person. My heart had never felt so shattered in my life. I had been through some pretty tough things in my life...but to imagine myself back there in that time...it was unreal. My words cannot explain what I felt. I stepped down and a congregation member mouthed the words "Very good" to me. I felt better. Maybe I did do a little bit of justice to those people I have read.
I went back the following day. I went to their Sunday morning all Hebrew service, which in itself, fascinated me. Then I watched a movie and learned more about the camps I have never heard before, the guilt individuals felt, and how Jews are becoming stronger and rebuilding a life in Germany. Again, words cannot explain what I experienced during the film.
I wish that I could come back every year to experience what I did this year. It was amazing. It was holy, breath taking, and mind blowing.
I encourage everyone to find a Yom HaShoah service and attend it. Not just because I have a weird passion for the Holocaust...but because the 11 million that perished, need their names, their stories, and the lives to be remembered. That is why this project is so important.
http://www.gofundme.com/2biju8
Please take time to read it, and think about it, and share it. If you have questions email me or comment here. Please do not let these 11 million individuals be forgotten.
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