Yom HaShoah - Aliza

Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel was a very sad but meaningful experience. On Erev Yom HaShoah we each went with our Israelis to the ceremony in their kibbutzim. In the morning we went to the school, Emek HaHula, and participated in some discussions about the Holocaust. The first discussion was in Hebrew, but with the help of our pen-pals we understood what was going on. Their teacher told the class about the Warsaw ghetto, Israel’s laws for remembering the Holocaust, and ways we can personally remember. Our second discussion was about the different kinds of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust.

Afterwards, we heard some poems, music, and stories at the school ceremony. Then, we went to a play about the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. Even though it was all in Hebrew, the story was very clear. All of these discussions and ceremonies have given us a better understanding of the Holocaust as well as what the Holocaust means to Israel. Being in Israel for Yom Hashoah, we could really feel the whole country mourning along with us.