Opportunities to Commemorate
Yom HaShoah
Light Your Family's Yellow Candle
Monday, April 17, after 7:30 PM
See below for more information about this program, a prayer you can say while lighting the candle, and a form if you would like to support ongoing Holocaust education programs at Beth Emeth. This annual program is sponsored by the Beth Emeth Men's Club. Yellow Candles not picked up with Shalach Manot have been mailed to each member family. If you don't have yours, please contact the office ASAP.
International Reading of Megillat HaShoah
Tuesday, April 18, 11:00 AM (U. S. Eastern Time) on Zoom
Beginning in 2003, the Rabbinical Assembly and the Schechter Institute co-published Megillat Hashoah — The Shoah Scroll — in five languages (Hebrew, English, French, Spanish and Russian) and it has been read every year at synagogues, schools and JCCs all over the world. This year, the two organizations are co-sponsoring the fourth international reading of Megillat Hashoah. More information, including Zoom link and download of the Megillat Hashoah, are on the Schechter website.
Yom HaShoah Commemoration at Beth Emeth
Saturday, April 22, 9:00 AM (In-person and Zoom)
Our community will hold a special Yom HaShoah commemoration as part of our 9:00 AM Shabbat morning service, with some of our 2nd and 3rd generation survivor members participating. Men's Club will sponsor a Kiddush Luncheon after the service. More info on CBE Services, including the Zoom link, is on the services page.
Greater DC Yom HaShoah Commemoration
Sunday, April 23, 1:00 PM (Zoom only)
More information about this community-wide commemoration and others in the supported by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington (JCRC), as well as registration to receive the Zoom link, are on the JCRC's website.
Light your Yellow Candle
on Erev Yom Hashoah
Monday, April 17, Erev Yom HaShoah
T
his year, Yom HaShoah will be observed beginning at sundown on Monday, April 17, at 7:30 PM. The Beth Emeth Men’s Club is mailing a special Yellow Candle to all CBE congregants who did not pick yours up with Shalach Manot at Purim.
The Yellow Candles should be lit the evening of Monday, April 17 after 7:30 PM, to commemorate the Holocaust. The act of kindling this flame, and reading the meditation shown below, is a moving ritual to remind us of what happened to the Jewish people not so long ago.
Yellow Candle Program
The Yellow Candle program, sponsored by the Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs (FJMC), was designed to keep alive the memory of the Six Million Jews who perished in the Shoah. The Candle was modeled after a traditional Jewish memorial Yahrzeit candle that burns for 24 hours during periods of mourning and on the Yahrzeit anniversary of a family member.
We would like to thank Marty Zelman for providing funding for the purchase of the candles. Marty’s parents are both Holocaust survivors. His mom is 93 years old and lives in Los Angeles. He is pleased to see the CBE Men’s Club participate in this very important program. We also want to thank the Men’s Club members and seventh grade students who volunteered to package the candles for mailing.
Marty speaks annually to the Beth Emeth seventh grade class about his parents’ experiences surviving the Holocaust.
Monies raised from your yellow candle donation (see below) will be used to fund Holocaust programming in our religious school and other related programming at CBE.
Yom HaShoah Meditation
The Blessing of the Yellow Candle
As I light this Yellow Candle, I vow never to forget the lives of the Jewish men, women and children who are symbolized by this flame. They were tortured and brutalized by human beings who acted like beasts; their lives taken in cruelty. May we be inspired to learn more about our six million brothers and sisters as individuals and as communities and to recall their memories throughout the year. May we recall not only the terror of their deaths, but also the splendor of their lives. May the memory of their lives inspire us to hallow our own lives and to live meaningful Jewish lives so that we may help to insure that part of who they were shall endure always. -- Rabbi Jules Harlow
Help Support Yom HaShoah Programs at CBE
In the spirit of remembrance, we encourage you to give tzedakah in memory to those who did not survive the Holocaust. Through your generosity, we can continue to fund Holocaust education and other related programming at CBE. Please donate online below or print out this form and return it to the synagogue with a check made payable to CBE Men’s Club.