Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day (Yom Ha'shoah in Hebrew) is a national day of commemoration in Israel, on which the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust are memorialized.
Yom Ha'shoah is a solemn day, beginning at sunset on the 4th of May, 2016 and ending the following evening. Memorial ceremonies where held by Jewish Communities around the country with Deputy Chief of Mission Avital Mimran-Rosenberg attending the ceremony in Auckland.
Ambassador Yosef Livne speaking at the Wellington memorial service highlighted the importance of honoring the victims & survivors of the Holocaust saying
"Tonight we are united to uphold not only the memory of a uniquely horrible chapter in the annals of Human history, but more than that we are here to salute a rarely seen courage in the face of certain perdition. Yom Hashoa is singular, not because it is a day of remembrance, but because of the message it perpetuates. It is a day which should bring us together to mourn the destruction, to reassert our determination to remember and to ensure that the Jewish people will not acquiesce nor will it keep silent in view of attempts to make anti-Semitism a legitimate opinion."
Read Full Speech Below:
יום השואה(4/5/16 )
Presidents and leaders of the Jewish community in Wellington
Rabbi Mizrachi,
Ambassador and Mrs. Nancy Gilbert,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear friends,
Jewish life is a continuing celebration of Joyous Holidays and the solemn observance of days of Awe. We remember triumphs and mourn destructions. Yet, tonight we are united to uphold not only the memory of a uniquely horrible chapter in the annals of Human history, but more than that we are here to salute a rarely seen courage in the face of certain perdition.
Yom Hashoa is singular, not because it is a day of remembrance, but because of the message it perpetuates. It is a day which should bring us together to mourn the destruction, to reassert our determination to remember and to ensure that the Jewish people will not acquiesce nor will it keep silent in view of attempts to make anti-Semitism a legitimate opinion.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
There will always be those who will tell us that that there have been other Genocides. It is true and as Jews we should raise our voices in condemning all expressions of human cruelty. Yet, the Shoa was unique not because we say so. As we look at its development from the early days of Nazism several elements stand out:
1. Jews were targeted because of who they were. A whole legal infrastructure had been elaborated to define who was a Jew.
2. The goal was to completely annihilate the Jewish people as a whole.
3. The Shoa was a product of an ideology which was translated into a State policy and then put in place in a methodical manner. The fate of the Jews has been determined no matter their age or background with no escape options.
In short, throughout Europe Jews found themselves hurled and crammed into intolerably diminishing spaces before being sent to death. Yet, even under these conditions and in the face of destruction Jews refused to succumb. In the squalor of the Ghettos, efforts were undertaken to maintain a semblance of human normalcy expressed in educating and marking the Holidays. Though they all suffered depravity, efforts were undertaken to support those who found themselves in the worst of the abyss. Although physical hunger was a daily companion, the thirst for food for the soul was quenched by artistic initiatives under the darkening clouds of the expulsion to the Death camps.
Throughout our history our forefathers had to face adversity in different forms. The constant threat of exile and death accompanied Jewish communities in different countries and different centuries. Yet, despite it all, the spark that kept the Neshama Yetera has never died. As we remember the victims, let us bow our heads in admiration for their unique heroism.
Although more than 70 years have passed since the defeat of Nazism, we as a people, still face those who claim the Shoa never took place, or that the numbers are blown out of proportion. The voices of those who deny the Holocaust cannot remain unchallenged. While in many countries legislation is in place against denial, this is by no means a universal practice. The regime in Teheran still permits the realization of caricature contest which aims to deny the Shoa. Iran is the only country in the world that does not hide its goal of seeing Israel disappear from the map of the world.
As we gather here and around the world to unite with the memory of our brethren, I believe that we cannot ignore the dark menace around us. In recent days we have been witnesses to very worrisome developments in the British Labor party. Let us hope the steps that have been adopted will put a stop to these manifestations.
In any case, Israel, which became a reality 3 years after the end of the war, will never silent its voice. As the State of the Jews, it behooves us to warn against the new anti-Semites, those who pretend to hide their true identities behind the thinly veiled mask of anti-Zionism. Let there be no mistake, those who claim "from the river to the sea Palestine will be free", are just as anti-Semites. Those who are engaged in campaigns to promote the boycott of Israeli scientists and artists from the world are no better than those who expelled Jews from academia and the arts in the 1930's Germany.
As we unite in a common remembrance of the Shoa, I feel it is my duty to commend the Jewish Community and the Holocaust Center in particular for their unique enterprise: The initiative to send High School teachers from across New Zealand to Israel needs the support of all. The success of this undertaking is a crucial component in the task of making sure that the memory and the lessons of the Shoa are not forgotten. I am proud that Israel stands shoulder to shoulder with you in your endevours.