I write these words as Yom HaShoah, the day in commemoration of the Holocaust, approaches. We still continue to struggle as we try to ritualize our commemoration of Yom HaShoah. We must grapple with readings, with rituals, with personal and community observances. We must search for that which is meaningful; we must find that which speaks to us far removed and yet so very close; we must find some way to descend into that darkness and we, ourselves, must still emerge from that darkness to continue into the future. The first mention of any day to commemorate the Holocaust came back in December of 1945 when the Reconstructionist Magazine ran an article calling for a day to say kaddish for those who perished in the Shoah. In Israel, a push for commemoration came from a group of ex-ghetto fighters who wanted to memorialize April 19, that day in 1943 which marked the first day of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. However, on the Hebrew calendar, that same date marked the first night of Pesach. Eventually, in 1951, compromise was reached between the partisans and the rabbinate, a compromise which turned to the 27th of Nisan, the date closest to the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and furthest from Pesach. Thus, on April 12, 1951, the Knesset declared the 27th of Nisan as Yom Hashoah U’Mered ha-Gettaot (the Holocaust and Ghetto Revolt Remembrance Day). Time, fortunately, has seen the second part of the name disappear – for Jews resisted in many ways. Yet, still given the lack of temporal distance and the immense tragedy, it is not surprising that we still struggle for appropriate commemoration. I remain troubled by our communal observances which often turn the shetl into a Garden of Eden. And I am often troubled by what appears to be the conclusion of many Yom HaShoah observances – that the people of Israel live. Such, then, appears to be our ultimate goal, to survive so that we do not give Hitler a posthumous victory as if simple survival then becomes our one and only goal. Yet Judaism is not about simple survival; Judaism is about bringing holiness into this world and working with God to make this the world God wants. Our own worship experience in the old Gates of Prayer was just as troubling. That service equated Yom HaShoah with Tisha b’Av, with the 9th of Av, the fast day which marks the destruction of the First and Second Temples. Traditional theology tells us the destroyers of the Temple served as God’s agents, wreaking such destruction because of our sins. How dare we posit such theology for Yom HaShoah. Fortunately, the observance in our new Mishkan T’filah does not make this connection. Yet, as we seek a holy day on which to base Yom HaShoah, my colleague and friend, Rabbi Steve Bob of Etz Hayim in Lombard, makes a fascinating suggestion – that of Purim. For Purim and Yom HaShoah are opposites, the flip side of each other. Haman and Hitler, Ahashverosh and the leaders of the countries of the world who did nothing, Mordechai and the righteous few. The difference then – on Yom HaShoah there was no Esther to save the Jews. Yom HaShoah is Purim without Esther. Think about it. On Purim, we drink wine and rejoice. On Yom HaShoah we are somber and sober. On Purim we make noise when we hear Haman’s name. On Yom HaShoah, we are silent. On Purim we wear costumes to pretend we are others. On Yom HaShoah, we are ourselves. Finally, what makes Yom HaShoah unique among all of our historybased holy days is that the Divine Presence is found not in the event we are commemorating but in the act of observance itself. So, again, the question – how do we bring the Shoah into our religious life? Several answers are obvious. The lighting of six yartzheit candles speaks volumes without having to say a word. Giving tzedakkah, a well-known and understood Jewish ritual, makes sense to organizations and groups which assist survivors and/or which assist righteous Gentiles and/or which provide Holocaust education. There are the yellow flowers, tulips which flower at the time of Yom HaShoah giving evidence of renewal and yellow reminding us of the yellow stars worn by the Jewish victims. Perhaps, on Yom HaShoah, we should eat a simple vegetarian diet during the day; perhaps all Jewish communal organizations and offices should be closed. In our congregation, our Brotherhood, under the direction of Mark Holland, has joined with other Brotherhoods across the country and Men’s Clubs of Conservative congregations in providing yellow yartzheit candles for purchase to be lit within our homes. And Mark and the Brotherhood have worked with me as we continue to try to develop our own Yom HaShoah observance which this year will take place on May 1 at 7:15 pm here at the synagogue. Our own member, Jack Dygola, will speak. We will be putting together a service based on the readings in Mishkan T’filah and on selections from other observances in other congregations. And we will, of course, still take part in the community observance of Yom Hashoah on Sunday, May 4, at 2:00 at the JCC. * * * We also have much to celebrate in the upcoming weeks. We will celebrate within our own congregation and with our community the 60th anniversary of the creation of the State of Israel. And we will celebrate within our congregation and with the entire community in the groundbreaking of our new building on Sunday, June 1. And so, in celebration, let us come together as one. Marc E. Berkson