Yom Hashoah (“the Day of the Shoah”) was established in 1951 by the Knesset, the Parliament of Israel, as a day of commemoration for the roughly six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. In 1999, the National Assembly officially recognized the observance of Yom Hashoah. The first Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel took place on December 28th, 1949.
As part of their outreach to Jewish neighbours, Christian communities began incorporating this observance into services, in a shared act of remembrance on the Sunday closest to Yom Hashoah. In Montreal, the first Christian Commemoration of the Shoah took place at Christ Church Cathedral in 1979. Since then, the tradition has spread to many different Christian churches.
Since church buildings are currently closed due to the pandemic, this commemoration will be taking place in online services this Sunday, April 26. The Christian Jewish Dialogue of Montreal (CJDM) has put together a list of resources than can easily be adapted to a range of denominations.
But you don’t have to belong to a church or even be Christian to share in the memories and mourning, and ponder the lessons learned from the Shoah. In fact, any person can follow along at home, using the CJDM’s beautifully crafted video. Through a simple ritual of lighting candles, the proposed prayer of remembrance goes beyond the Jewish victims, survivors, and other victims of genocides, to include a recognition of those who fight for social justice and work for peace.
As we mark this 41st anniversary of Christian commemoration, let us not forget that there is still much that needs to be done to guard against discrimination, intolerance and inequities. As we live through this global pandemic, it is easy to focus only on ourselves. But this Sunday’s commemoration calls us to remember to insist on equity for everyone, every day.
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