Community Invited to Attend Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony
Written by admin, May 12, 2011, 0 Comments
Courtesy Xochitl Mora,
Ceremony combines spiritual, secular aspects to help honor, memorialize 6 million Jews killed during the Holocaust
After the horrors of the Holocaust, the world vowed to never let such a thing happen again, by hosting ceremonies to commemorate the victims. Holocaust Remembrance Day is when Jewish congregations around the world remember the six million Jews who were slaughtered during the Holocaust. This year’s Days of Remembrance theme, “Justice and Accountability in the Face of Genocide: What Have We Learned?”
The ceremony is open to persons of every faith and will feature a mix of celebration and somber remembrance.
“I am so honored to be a part of this very special and moving ceremony,” said Salinas. “Even in today’s world, the lessons of the Holocaust are still relevant for us and it is important that we remember what was lost by all of us, Jew and Gentile alike, when evil and intolerance reigned.”
Keynote speaker for the ceremony is Lilian Gordon, a Ukrainian-born Holocaust survivor who now lives in Houston. She was born on August 29, 1941 right after the Nazi’s invaded the Ukraine (Russia). She arrived in the United States on July 4, 1949. Gordon’s presentation will tell her life story, about surviving the Holocaust at that young age. The next day, she will visit two local schools: VMT at 9:30 a.m. and San Agustin High School at 1:30 p.m.
However, the highlight of the ceremony is the Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony. Although secular in the sense that there are no religious obligations or prohibitions, special prayers and rituals have developed over the years, such as lighting six memorial candles—one for each million of the six million Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust.
“A city wide commemoration of The Holocaust serves to remind all citizens of the dangers of hate, prejudice and intolerance, a valuable lesson, especially for the young,” said Rabbi Elliot Rosenbaum, of Congregation Agudas Achim.
THURSDAY, May 12, 2011 6:30 p.m. Laredo Public Library HEB Multi-Purpose Room, 1120 E. Calton Road
