Yom HaShoah in United Kingdom
Quick Facts
Yom Hashoah remembers the lives and sacrifices of about six million Holocaust victims who died during World War II. This observance is annually held on the 27th day of the month of Nisan.Name
Yom HaShoahYom HaShoah 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010Yom HaShoah 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011Note: Many Jewish holidays begin at sundown the day before the date specified for the holiday.
See list of observations below
Railroad cars, such as the one pictured above, were used as a form of transport for Holocaust victims during World War II. They are remembered on Yom Hashoah. ©iStockphoto.com/Brittany Carter Courville
What do people do?
Many people in the United Kingdom, including those with Jewish ancestry or connections, observe Yom Hashoah on the 27th day of the month of Nisan. Many Jewish communities hold commemorative ceremonies or events to remember Holocaust victims who died during World War II.
Synagogue services are held in the United Kingdom during Yom Hashoah and rituals may vary. Activities may include lighting memorial candles and reciting the Kaddish, which is a prayer for the departed, as well as the El Maleh Rahamim, a memorial prayer. Holocaust survivors may also share their stories to groups of people.
Educational programs about the historical events associated with Yom Hashoah are shown around this time of the year, particularly to students learning about Jewish history. These programs may include a documentary featuring Holocaust survivors’ stories or a viewing of a Holocaust-themed film. Teaching resources and guidelines may accompany some of these programs.
Public life
Yom Hashoah is not a federal public holiday in the United Kingdom.
Background
Israel’s Knesset (parliament) established Yom Hashoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day, as a memorial to about six million Jewish people who were slaughtered by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945. It is observed on the 27th day of the month of Nisan, which marks the day when Allied troops liberated the first Nazi concentration camp at Buchenwald, Germany, in 1945. The full name of the day is Yom Hashoah Ve-Hagevurah, which means the "Day of (remembrance of) the Holocaust and the Heroism".
Symbols
A Holocaust memorial at London’s Hyde Park remembers the Holocaust victims who died during World War II. It consists of two boulders set in raked gravel and surrounded by silver birch trees. The inscription reads (when translated from Hebrew to English) “For thee I weep. Streams of tears flow from my eyes because of the destruction of my people”.
About Yom HaShoah in other countries
Read more about Yom HaShoah.Yom HaShoah Observances
Note: Many Jewish holidays begin at sundown the day before the date specified for the holiday.| Weekday | Date | Year | Name | Holiday type | Where it is observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | Apr 13 | 1980 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Fri | May 1 | 1981 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Tue | Apr 20 | 1982 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Sun | Apr 10 | 1983 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Sun | Apr 29 | 1984 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Apr 18 | 1985 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Tue | May 6 | 1986 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Sun | Apr 26 | 1987 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Apr 14 | 1988 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Tue | May 2 | 1989 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Sun | Apr 22 | 1990 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Apr 11 | 1991 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Apr 30 | 1992 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Sun | Apr 18 | 1993 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Fri | Apr 8 | 1994 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Apr 27 | 1995 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Tue | Apr 16 | 1996 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Sun | May 4 | 1997 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Apr 23 | 1998 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Tue | Apr 13 | 1999 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Tue | May 2 | 2000 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Fri | Apr 20 | 2001 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Tue | Apr 9 | 2002 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Tue | Apr 29 | 2003 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Sun | Apr 18 | 2004 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Fri | May 6 | 2005 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Tue | Apr 25 | 2006 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Sun | Apr 15 | 2007 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Fri | May 2 | 2008 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Tue | Apr 21 | 2009 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Sun | Apr 11 | 2010 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Sun | May 1 | 2011 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Apr 19 | 2012 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Sun | Apr 7 | 2013 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Sun | Apr 27 | 2014 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Apr 16 | 2015 | Yom HaShoah | Jewish holiday |
Other holidays in April 2010 in United Kingdom
- Maundy Thursday (Thursday, April 1, 2010)
- Orthodox Good Friday (Friday, April 2, 2010)
- Good Friday (Friday, April 2, 2010)
- Orthodox Holy Saturday (Saturday, April 3, 2010)
- Holy Saturday (Saturday, April 3, 2010)
- Easter Sunday (Sunday, April 4, 2010)
- Orthodox Easter (Sunday, April 4, 2010)
- Easter Monday (Monday, April 5, 2010)
- Orthodox Easter Monday (Monday, April 5, 2010)
- Last day of Passover (Tuesday, April 6, 2010)
- Yom HaAtzmaut (Tuesday, April 20, 2010)
- Shakespeare Day (Friday, April 23, 2010)
- St. George's Day (Friday, April 23, 2010)
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