Holocaust Remembrance Day

Celebrated on 01/27/2026

Quick Fact

Holocaust Remembrance Day, also known as Yom HaShoah, was established by the Israeli Knesset in 1951. The date, 27th of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar, was chosen to mark the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Many communities hold ceremonies where six candles are lit to remember the six million Jewish victims.

Origins and Establishment of Holocaust Remembrance Day

Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom HaShoah, was officially established by the Israeli Knesset in 1951. The date was chosen to fall on the 27th of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar, which is close to the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (April 19, 1943). The law was championed by then-Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and other survivors to ensure that the memory of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust would be preserved for future generations.

Evolution and Modern Commemoration

Initially observed primarily in Israel, Yom HaShoah has grown into an internationally recognized day of remembrance. In Israel, the day begins at sundown with a state ceremony at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. A siren sounds across the country at 10:00 AM, during which all activity stops for two minutes of silence. In recent decades, many Jewish communities and institutions worldwide have adopted the day, holding memorial services, educational programs, and candle-lighting ceremonies. Since 2005, the United Nations has also observed an International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust on January 27, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Facts & General Observations

• Approximately six million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust, representing about two-thirds of the Jewish population in Europe.
• Yad Vashem in Jerusalem houses the world's largest collection of Holocaust-related artifacts and documents, with over 4.5 million pages of testimony.
• In Israel, places of entertainment such as restaurants and theaters are closed on Yom HaShoah, and television and radio programming focuses on Holocaust-related content.

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