Observing Yom Ha’Shoah in Northern Virginia

Yom Ha’Shoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) is a memorial day for those who died in the Holocaust. “Shoah” is the Hebrew word used to refer to the Holocaust. The holiday was added to the calendar in 1959 and falls on the 27th of the Jewish month of Nissan, a date selected because it is the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (the largest act of resistance by Jews during the Holocaust). Note: The date of the holiday is moved to Sunday if the scheduled date falls on Shabbat or to Thursday if that date falls on a Friday – which interfered with the observance of Shabbat).

To clear up any confusion, Yom Ha’Shoah is observed separate from International Holocaust Remembrance Day which was created by the United Nations in 2005 and that is observed on January 27 every year. That date was chosen because it was the anniversary of the Allies liberating Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and death camp.

Yom Ha’Shoah Resources