Join and be a witness for those who perished in the Holocaust at the annual Reading of the Names and Commemoration Ceremony.
This year, Yom HaShoah, or “Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust and Heroism,” begins at sunset on Monday, April 17 and ends at sunset Tuesday, April 18.
Every year, the Elon community gathers to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust through the Reading of the Names and a Ceremony of Remembrance, to remind us all of the terrible deeds that can be carried out when bigotry, hatred, and indifference are regarded as normal. “Shoah” is the Hebrew word used to describe the Holocaust, meaning destruction, catastrophe or disaster. Communities and individuals worldwide commemorate Yom HaShoah.
All community members are invited to participate in one or both of the events open to the wider Elon community.
Reading of the Names
The front steps of the Moseley Center
Tuesday, April 18 | 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Reading the Names helps to ensure that the memories of those murdered in the Shoah are never forgotten. This annual tradition emphasizes the depth of loss and will be occurring in communities around the world on this day. We encourage members of the Elon community to participate in this act of remembrance by joining us to listen to the names of just some of the many victims who perished in the Holocaust.
Faculty and staff members are also encouraged to bring their classes and students during this time to witness the readings. Bearing witness to the stories and names of those people who suffered under Nazi brutality is an important reminder of that terrible time, the atrocities committed by the Nazis, and the powerful acts of resistance and efforts to preserve human dignity on the part of victims and survivors.
The Reading of the Names is an important way to memorialize the victims of the Shoah. The name of the ceremony is derived from the poem, “Unto Every Person There is a Name,” written by the poet Zelda (1914–1984).
Commemoration Ceremony of Remembrance: The Next Generations
Sacred Space at the Numen Lumen Pavilion
Thursday April 20 | 9:50 a.m. to 10:20 a.m.
Join us to mark Yom HaShoah with this powerful and meaningful ceremony, which brings together readings, songs, stories, and personal reflections in an intimate format designed by Jewish Educator Boaz Avraham-Katz and O’Briant Developing Professor and Associate Professor of History Andrea Sinn.
Elon students, faculty and staff will remember the lives of those who died as a result of the racial purity measures in German-controlled Europe during World War II, to honor those who survived, and to remember their experiences during this dark time. This ceremony, which focuses on the next generations of remembrance, will take place during the time set aside for Numen Lumen, and we ask that you invite your students to be present for this important commemoration.