Every year, Jewish communities around the world gather to observe Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale—the Bayit’s annual Yom HaShoah Seder—a ritual that provides a framework for collective remembrance, reflection and commitment to ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten—will take place on Thursday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. Participants can join in person or on Zoom.
This year they will be honored to be joined by both the SAR Academy choir directed by Noah Solomon and Ilan Marans, and the Kinneret Day School Choir directed by Brian Gelfand.
HIR has been holding a Yom HaShoah Seder annually for over 25 years. Similar to Passover, we use a Haggadah for the Yom HaShoah Seder, originally compiled and edited by Rabbi Avi Weiss.
The Yom Hashoah Seder is based on the idea that nothing in memory will endure without it becoming ritualized. The program is divided into four sections: physical destruction, spiritual devastation, the murder of children and resistance. It includes rituals of reenactment: eating potato peels, burning paper with the alef-bet written on it, sending children to a roped-off corner of the room and hearing the words of Ezekiel’s prophecy that the valley of dry bones will rise to become a strong army in Israel.
Candles are lit in memory of the 6 million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. Each candle may be dedicated to a different group of victims, such as children, the righteous among the nations, or the survivors who rebuilt Jewish life after the war.
The Seder does not end in despair but in a commitment to justice, remembrance and the fight against antisemitism and all forms of hatred. Just as the Passover Seder concludes with a hopeful message of liberation, the Yom HaShoah Seder emphasizes the responsibility of future generations to bear witness and act.
“The profound effect and emotion our program evokes in participants of the Yom HaShoah Seder is powerful. Through the ritual of text, song and storytelling, the stories of the survivors come to life and we get for a brief moment to share a glimpse into their stories and what brought them to be the people they are today. All are welcome to join us on April 29 to be part of this way of preserving Holocaust memory,” said Rabbi Steven Exler, senior rabbi of Hebrew Institute of Riverdale—The Bayit.
As the number of living survivors dwindles, the need for rituals like the Yom HaShoah Seder becomes ever more critical. Integrating elements of storytelling, symbolism and moral responsibility, the Yom Hashoah Seder renews our commitment to “Never Again” with each passing year.
Register by April 28 at thebayit.org/yomhashoah.
