About the Day of Remembrance
What is Yom HaShoah
Yom HaShoah (Hebrew: יום השואה) is the national day of remembrance in Israel, dedicated to the six million Jews annihilated by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during the Holocaust (the Shoah), as well as to Jewish resistance. It is observed on the 27th day of the month of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar — usually in April or early May.
Its full name is "Yom HaZikaron laShoah velaG'vurah," the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day. The date was set close to the anniversary of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: the memory of the victims is inseparable from the memory of those who fought and preserved their dignity.
This is not a celebration but a day of mourning and reflection. In Israel, flags are lowered to half-mast, traffic comes to a halt, and a siren sounds. Around the world on this day, people light candles, read the names of the dead, and repeat the vow: this must never happen again.
Date and Scale
When and How Many
A few numbers, behind which lie the fates of millions of people, of communities, and of an entire world that was destroyed.
In Azerbaijan
Remembrance in Azerbaijan
For centuries Azerbaijan has been a home to Jews — Ashkenazi, Georgian, and above all Mountain Jews. Krasnaya Sloboda (the Red Town) in Quba is one of the few places in the world where a Mountain Jewish community lives compactly and openly. During the Second World War, Azerbaijan became a refuge for thousands of Jews fleeing Nazism, while Baku's oil fueled the front that halted the extermination.
Today the Jewish community of Azerbaijan keeps the memory of the Holocaust together with the entire country, known for its tradition of tolerance. On Yom HaShoah, candles are lit and memorial prayers are recited in the synagogues of Baku and Quba — because remembering the victims and safeguarding the living community are two sides of one duty.
Sections
To Remember Is to Know
Three pages — about what happened, how memory is kept, and the lesson the Holocaust left behind.
