Yom HaShoah

Yom HaShoah May 6

Yom HaShoah opens in Israel at sundown in a state ceremony held in Warsaw Ghetto Square at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes Authority, in Jerusalem. During the ceremony the national flag is lowered to half mast, the President and the Prime Minister both deliver speeches, Holocaust survivors light six torches symbolizing the approximately six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust and the Chief Rabbis recite prayers.

On Yom HaShoah, ceremonies and services are held at schools, military bases and by other public and community organizations.

On the eve of Yom HaShoah and the day itself, places of public entertainment are closed by law. Israeli television airs Holocaust documentaries and Holocaust-related talk shows, and low-key songs are played on the radio. Flags on public buildings are flown at half-mast. At 10:00 a.m., an air raid siren sounds throughout the country and Israelis observe one minute of solemn reflection. People stop what they are doing and motorists stop their cars in the middle of the road, standing beside their vehicles in silence as the siren is sounded.

Observance of the day is moved back to the Thursday before, if 27 Nisan falls on a Friday (as in 2008), or forward a day, if 27 Nisan falls on a Sunday (to avoid adjacency with the Jewish Sabbath). The fixed Jewish calendar ensures 27 Nisan does not fall on Saturday.

The butterfly is representative of the spirit of life and the quest for freedom.

Click on the images below to download PDF’s in relation to this event.

Room Decorations

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Instructions for all bunting, napkin rings and cocktail flags below.