Holocaust Remembrance Day 2020
“If we held a moment of silence for every victim of the Holocaust we would be silent for eleven and a half years.”
This evening, April 20th 2020, marks the start of Holocaust Remembrance Day or 'Yom HaShoah'.
In that devastating catastrophe that decimated the European Jewish community during the Second World War, my grandmother lost most of her family. The only family names my mother knew were her father's, her mother's first name; 'Helena,' and mums own descendants.
Separated from Helena shortly after her birth in 1943, mum didn't meet my grandmother again until the mid 60's. Following this reunion, she wrote poignantly 'My mother's sister, somewhere in Canada. The rest all murdered, or so I believe'
Over the past 5 years, Helena's sister, Irena's descendants, have been traced, living in the USA, and we have recovered some of the names of family members who perished in the Holocaust. We have come together, as a family to read their names. We will remember each of them.
Included in this remembrance is Holocaust survivor, Adam Adams (Izrael Melamed). Adam reads the names of his beloved parents and sisters. Whilst we read names to which we have no faces, Adam remembers; he alone survived.
In this strange time of lockdown, let us remember those who had no hope, who were isolated, starved, hidden, hunted down and murdered, and let us stand with those incredible survivors who after losing everything, continued in life and gave hope to the next generations.
#RememberingFromHome #ShoahNames #FragmentsThatRemain #YadVashem
