Sunday, May 1, 2011

Holocaust Remembrance Day 2011 in Israel


5 comments:

  1. Excuse my ignorance, but can you please explain to me what's the story of celebrating Yom HaShoah, and particularly in the month of Nissan? Who decided and why that date of Nissan the 28th?

    One of the reason why charedim don't celebrate Yom HaShoah has to do mainly with the date, as on a halachik point of view, except for the Sefirah period, we don't mourn in Nissan which is a month of redemption (that's one of the reason why some have the minhag to begin the 33 days of mourning from Rosh Chodesh Iyar untill three days after Shavou'os, and not from the 2nd day of Pessach untill Lag Ba'Omer) and the 9th of Menachem Av has already been established as a day of mourning for Jewish martyrdom and other national catastrophies.

    There is an interesting and short interview on the subject here: http://www.thejewishweek.com/features/new_york_minute/haredim_and_yom_hashoah

    ReplyDelete
  2. It may be shameful for you, but I didn't even know it was Yom HaShoah. So, thanks for the information.

    And like I asked, who decided the event and the date?

    ReplyDelete
  3. B"H

    Haredim also have a problem with next week's Independence Day, as we still count the Omer. However, the Breslover Nanas are celebrating and I always see them driving wildly with their lorry through secular Dizengoff Street and dancing like crazy on Erev Yom Ha'azma'ut.

    There is also an idea, at least in Israel, that Haredim commemorate Holocaust victims on 10 Tevet.

    The date of Israel's Yom Hashoah was stipulated by the Ben Gurion government after the founding of the State of Israel. The date itself actually represents the Jewish uprising at the Warzaw Ghetto.

    There is a lot to say about Israel's Holocaust Memorial Day and I will write more on the matter this week; as well as on the nation Memorial Day of the Fallen Soldiers and the Independence Day one day later.

    ReplyDelete
  4. "Haredim also have a problem with next week's Independence Day" because it was not an "independance", quite the contrary.

    "However, the Breslover Nanas are celebrating and I always see them driving wildly with their lorry through secular Dizengoff Street and dancing like crazy on Erev Yom Ha'azma'ut" It is not surprising, those guys don't have any Halachik opinion and have no position on anything. Their life can be easily summarized: dancing and singing on Nanas music all the day, that's what they are all about! They don't have any position on Zionism or any other issue. They are all about dancing, and it's incredible to see them dancing with music while Halachah forbids it. It says a lot about their religious education. Like any other minority, they make noise to be heard, that's all!

    "The date of Israel's Yom Hashoah was stipulated by the Ben Gurion government after the founding of the State of Israel" so now I know why we don't celebrate it.

    Thanks for all the information. It adds to my general culture.

    ReplyDelete
  5. B"H

    To be very precise:

    The Knesset voted for that date.

    ReplyDelete