Marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2025

 Marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2025

On January 27th, we mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2024. Established in 2005 by the United Nations, this day of commemoration honors the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and coincides with the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945.   Yad Vashem has curated a series of events, exhibitions, and resources to reflect, learn, and remember. We invite you to explore the stories, participate in programs, and join us to ensure the Holocaust's legacy continues to shape reflection, education, and remembrance across generations. Join us for an online event exploring genealogical research 📅 January 30, 2025 | 19:00 Israel Time | 12:00 EST 💳 Registration fee: $15   📜 Program: Greetings | Irit Filipowicz–Director, Yad Vashem Archives Division Session One Jonathan Kirsch – Director, Department for the Location of Property Owners and Transfer of Unclaimed Property to the State The Guardian General – Locating Heirs of Unclaimed Property in Israel   Robinn Magid, Assistant Director, JRI-Poland Tracing Your Family using Surviving Polish Records  Session Two Milena Wicepolska-Góralczyk – Researcher, Jewish Heritage in Łódź, Poland Łódź Jewish Cemetery: History, Possibilities of Searching   David Mendoza - Researcher, Sephardic Genealogy Western Sephardic Burial Traditions and Records   Moderator:  Dr. Serafima Velkovich, Head of the Family Roots Research Section, Yad Vashem Archives. Register  Echoes & Reflections Webinar " A Reflection on Liberation 80 Years Later"   📅  January 27, 2025 | 1:00 PM ET  January 27th marks 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, and for this reason the date was chosen for International Holocaust Remembrance Day. But what exactly happened on January 27, 1945? Was liberation the happy ending we think it was?   In this webinar Sheryl Ochayon, Echoes and Reflections Project Director at Yad Vashem, will use testimonies, photographs, and other primary sources to tell the story of liberation as it really was, for the survivors and the liberators. Register The Third Alan Cornell US Campus Faculty Seminar at Yad Vashem   🗓️ June 9-19, 2025 📍  Yad Vashem, Jerusalem   Are you passionate about teaching the Holocaust and addressing its enduring lessons? In today's world, with an alarming rise in antisemitism on university campuses, the responsibility to educate about the Holocaust and its lessons is more critical than ever.   The Alan Cornell US Campus Faculty Seminar at Yad Vashem, offers university professors and educators a unique opportunity to learn from leading experts on Holocaust studies and pedagogy. Study the roots and impact of antisemitism Learn how the Holocaust and antisemitism are relevant for US college campuses Leverage Yad Vashem's Educational Expertise Stay updated about current research on the Holocaust Delve into and understand remembrance, Israel, and the Holocaust Learn More and Apply ready2print Exhibition    When Time Stood Still: The Fate of Jewish Families and Communities during the Holocaust Close to 6 million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust, each with their own unique story, family and community.  "When Time Stood Still" shares the fate of 15 Jewish families and the vibrant communities they belonged to.   Now available in a ready2print format, this exhibition is perfect for community centers, schools, workplaces and public spaces.   Order, print and display this impactful exhibition and bring powerful stories to your community Order Production Files Online and ready2print Exhibition -  The Auschwitz Album The Auschwitz Album is the only surviving visual evidence of the process leading to the mass murder at Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is a unique document and was donated to Yad Vashem by Lilly Jacob-Zelmanovic Meier.   The photos were taken at the end of May or beginning of June 1944, either by Ernst Hofmann or by Bernhard Walter, two SS men whose task was to take ID photos and fingerprints of the inmates (not of the Jews who were sent directly to the gas chambers).   View the Auschwitz Album Auschwitz – A Place on Earth: The Auschwitz Album is available in ready2print format.    The exhibition will be displayed at UN institutions this year, and in several countries under the patronage of Israeli embassies.   The exhibition is available in an accessible print and display format recommended for community centers, places of work and public spaces.   Order Production Files After So Much Pain and Anguish Written in the immediate aftermath of liberation by Holocaust survivors and soldiers, these letters reflect the mixed emotions of the survivors - the sigh of relief intertwined with the anguish of irreparable loss. This compilation of letters comprises a powerful, firsthand testimony, forming an important document of the most horrific period of the 20th Century.    Buy Now From Death to Battle Beni Virtzberg was 9 years old when Kristallnacht tore apart his childhood in Hamburg. His journey through the horrors of the Holocaust began soon after, as he and his family were transported to Sosnowiec and later deported to Auschwitz. There, he lost both his parents—his mother upon arrival and his father despite his desperate efforts to save him.   Beni's own fight for survival led him from Auschwitz, where he was forced to assist Joseph Mengele, to the death marches and to the notorious camps of Mauthausen and Melk.  Upon liberation, Beni immigrated to Eretz Israel, joined the Palmach, and fought in some of the fiercest battles during Israel's War of Independence.   During the Eichmann Trial, Beni decided to bear witness by writing his painful memoirs. The work on the book and the constant reminders of his agonizing past and losses took a great toll on him. On August 4, 1968, Beni Virtzberg took his own life.   Buy Now

Yad Vashem | Har Hazikaron | P.O.B. 3477 | Jerusalem | 9103401 | Israel | 97226443555 The Repetition of a Commandment As is his practice in many Halachos in the Mishneh Torah, the Rambam begins Hilchos Beis HaBechirah, “The Laws of [G‑d’s] Chosen House,” by stating the fundamental mitzvah upon which the entire collection of laws which follow is based: It is a positive commandment to construct a house for G‑d, prepared to have sacrifices offered within.... as it is written,1 “And you shall make Me a Sanctuary.” Significantly, the Rambam also mentions the mitzvah of con­structing the Beis HaMikdash elsewhere in the Mishneh Torah, in Hilchos Melachim, “The Laws of Kings.” There, however, he focuses on the mitzvah in a different context, stating:2 The Jews were commanded regarding the observance of three mitzvos when they entered Eretz Yisrael: to appoint a king over them.... to wipe out the descendants of Amalek.... and to build [G‑d’s] Chosen House; as it is written,3 “You shall seek out His presence and come to that place.” The commentaries question: What is the Rambam’s purpose in repeating the commandment to build a Sanctuary in Hilchos Melachim and why in that source does he link together the three mitzvos he mentions?4 The Bond Between These Three Mitzvos In regard to the latter question, it can be explained that there is an intrinsic con­nection between these three mitzvos.5 Although they are three separate commandments, the fulfill­ment of one contributes a measure of perfection to the others. To cite a parallel: The arm tefillin and the head tefillin are two separate mitzvos.6 Neverthe­less, when both of these mitzvos are performed together, each one is elevated to a higher level. Similarly, in regard to the three mitzvos mentioned by the Rambam: The intent is not merely that the mitzvos are to be fulfilled in the chronological order mentioned by the Rambam.7 Instead, the linkage of three mitzvos teaches that the mitzvah of building the Sanctuary can be fulfilled in the most perfect man­ner, only when first, a king is appointed and then Amalek is destroyed. Similarly, the fulfillment of the mitzvos of destroying Amalek and building a Sanctuary enhance the mitzvah of ap­pointing a king, and the fulfillment of the mitzvah of wiping out Amalek is enhanced by the mitzvos of appointing a king and building the Beis HaMikdash. This concept is supported by the verses8 cited by the Ram­bam in the halachah which follows in Hilchos Melachim:9 “And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and G‑d brought him peace from all the enemies which surrounded him, the king said to the prophet, Natan, ‘Behold, I am sitting in a palace of cedar, [while the Ark of G‑d dwells in curtains].’ ” These verses indicate how the secure establishment of the monarchy, [“the king dwelt in his house”,] the destruction of Amalek, [“And G‑d brought him peace from all the enemies which surrounded him,”10] and the building of the Beis HaMik­dash [David’s request from the prophet Natan] are interrelated.11 Based on the above, we can appreciate a further point: The Rambam’s statements in Hilchos Melachim are based on the Mid­rash Tanchuma. Nevertheless, he alters the text of that Mid­rashic passage, choosing a different prooftext. In the Midrash Tanchuma, the prooftext cited for the commandment to build the Beis HaMikdash is the verse: “And you shall make Me a Sanctuary.”12 The Rambam, by contrast, substitutes the verse: “You shall seek out His presence...,” because the context of this verse in the Book of Devarim describes the Jews’ entry into Eretz Yisrael and their progress to a state when “G‑d will grant you peace from all your enemies around you and you will dwell in security.”13 Fulfilling a Mitzvah in Stages The above concepts also shed light on another related point which has aroused the attention of the commentaries: As men­tioned above, the Ram­bam uses the verse, “And you shall make Me a Sanctuary,” as the prooftext for the mitzvah to build the Beis HaMikdash. This is problematic, for seemingly, this com­mand refers to the con­struction of the Sanctuary in the desert and not to the construc­tion of the Beis HaMikdash. The passage cited by the Rambam in Hilchos Melachim, by contrast, refers specifically to the con­struction of the Beis HaMikdash, and indeed, is cited as the source for the commandment to build the Beis HaMikdash by our Sages14 and by our Rabbis.15 It is possible to explain16 that the commandment, “And you shall make Me a Sanctuary,” is general in scope, applying to all the structures which were “a house for G‑d” [i.e., a place where G‑d’s presence was revealed] and “prepared to have sacrifices offered within” [a place for the service of the Jewish people].17 Throughout their history, the Jews fulfilled this commandment in several different ways, beginning with the construction of the Sanctuary in the desert. In this context, we can resolve a problematic point in Hilchos Beis HaBechirah. Directly after stating the mitzvah to build a Sanctuary, the Rambam continues: The Sanctuary which Moshe our teacher built is already described in the Torah. It was, however, only temporary in nature.... When [the Jewish people] entered Eretz [Yisrael], they erected the Sanctuary in Gilgal for the fourteen years in which they conquered and divided [the land]. After­wards, they came to Shiloh and built a structure of stone.... When Eli died, it was destroyed and they came to Nov and built a Sanctuary.18 When Shmuel died, it was de­stroyed and they came to Givon and built a Sanctuary. From Givon, they came to the [Divine Presence’s] eternal home. The place of such statements in the Mishneh Torah is prob­lematic. Unlike the Talmud or the Midrashim which are general in content, the Mishneh Torah is exclusively a text of Halachah, Torah law. Points of ethics, philosophy, and history are men­tioned only when they are themselves halachos, specific direc­tives governing our conduct. Thus the question can be raised: What halachic points can be derived from the historical back­ground to the construction of the Beis HaMikdash?19 On the basis of the explanation given above, we can, how­ever, appreciate the sequence of these halachos: After the Ram­bam uses a prooftext which implies that the mitzvah of building a Sanctuary is not confined to one specific structure, he illus­trates this point by citing the various different intermediate stages through which our people’s observance of this mitzvah underwent. Intermediate Way-Stations On the Path to Jerusalem To return to the concept explained at the outset: The link­age of the mitzvah of con­structing a Sanctuary with the mitzvos of appointing a king and wiping out Amalek is also rele­vant with regard to the other structures mentioned by the Ram­bam.20 Our Rabbis state that “Moshe Rabbeinu served as a king,”21 and the construction of the Sanctuary followed the war in which Yehoshua defeated Amalek.22 The title “king” was also applied to Yehoshua23 who con­structed the Sanctuary at Shiloh, and to Shmuel,24 who con­structed the Sanctuary at Nov. We are unsure of the exact time of the construction of the Sanctuary at Givon. We may, how­ever, assume that one of the following — Shaul, David, or Shmuel, all of whom either served, or were described, as kings — was involved in its construction. Similarly, at the time these structures were built, the people had reached progressively more developed stages of being “at peace from the enemies around them.” Nevertheless, just as the monarchy and Israel’s peace had not been established in a complete manner at the time of these structures, these structures did not represent a complete manifestation of the indwelling of the Divine Presence, nor did they fulfill the ideal conception of a center for the sacrificial worship of the Jewish people. It was not until “the king dwelt in his house, and G‑d brought him peace from all the enemies which surrounded him,” i.e., David had securely established the monarchy and brought peace to the land, that it was possible to build the Beis HaMikdash. The Ultimate Beis HaMikdash Based on the above, we can appreciate one of the positive dimensions that will be pos­sessed by the Third Beis HaMikdash. That structure will be built by Mashiach,25 the ultimate Jewish monarch, and will be con­structed after he “wages the wars of G‑d, defeating all the nations around him.”26 Among these wars will be the total an­nihilation of Amalek.27 Thus, since in the Era of the Redemp­tion, the other two mitzvos, the appointment of a king and the destruction of Amalek, will have been fulfilled in a perfect mat­ter, this will contribute an added dimension of per­fection to the mitzvah of constructing the Beis HaMikdash. We can hasten the coming of this era through our divine service. To explain: In chassidic thought,28 the appointment of a king is associated with developing inner bittul, nullifying oneself to G‑d. This in turn allows a person to “drive out” Amalek from his being, to free himself from pride, egotism, and other unde­sirable character traits. Such personal refinement allows him to proceed further and transform his person, his home, and his surroundings into a “sanctuary in microcosm,” in which the Divine Presence can rest.29 This will serve as a catalyst for change in the world at large. For each particular manifestation of the Divine Presence within the world hastens the coming of the time when the Divine Pres­ence will again be revealed, and not merely in microcosm. At that time, “the world will be filled with the knowledge of G‑d as the waters cover the ocean bed.”30 May this take place in the immediate future. Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. VI, Terumah Beit Yisrael International. Become a member. Get the MemberShip from Beit Yisrael! ‘How to become a Righteous of the Nations (Ultra-Orthodox Chassidic/Lost Tribes of Efrayim/‘Ger Toshav‘: Israelite by accepting the Shulchan Aruch and Chasidut, the teachings of CHaBaD, hearing and doing.) Click: Beit yisrael international  Until........: Isa 11:9 – 16 They do no evil nor destroy in all My set-apart mountain, for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of Adonai as the waters cover the sea. Rashi: knowledge of the Lord: [lit.] to know the Lord. 10 And on that day, there shall be a Root of Yishai, standing as a banner to the people. Unto Him the nations shall seek, and His rest shall be esteem. Rashi: as a banner for peoples: that peoples should raise a banner to gather to him. 11 And it shall be in that day that Adonai sets His hand again a second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Ashshur and from Mitsrayim, from Pathros and from Kush, from Ěylam and from Shin‛ar, from Ḥamath and from the islands of the sea. Rashi: a second time: Just as he acquired them from Egypt, when their redemption was absolute, without subjugation, but the redemption preceding the building of the Second Temple is not counted, since they were subjugated to Cyrus. and from the islands of the sea: the islands of the Kittim, the Romans, the descendants of Esau. And he shall raise a banner: Perka, perche in O.F. [i.e., the verse is literally referring to the pole upon which the banner is attached.] And it shall be for a sign to gather to him and to bring the exiles of Israel to Him as a present. 12 And He shall raise a banner for the nations, and gather the outcasts of Yisra’ěl, and assemble the dispersed of Yehuḏa from the four corners of the earth. 13 And the envy of Ephrayim shall turn aside, and the adversaries of Yehuḏa be cut off. Ephrayim shall not envy Yehuḏa, and Yehuḏa not trouble Ephrayim. Rashi: Ephraim shall not envy Judah: The Messiah, the son of David, and the Messiah, the son of Joseph, shall not envy each other. 14 But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west; together they plunder the people of the east, their hand stretching forth on Eḏom and Mo’aḇ, and the children of Ammon shall be subject to them. Rashi: And they shall fly of one accord against the Philistines in the west: Heb. בְכָתֵף. Israel will fly and run of one accord against the Philistines who are in the west of Eretz Israel and conquer their land. [כָּתֵף, lit. a shoulder, is used in this case to denote unity. The word שֶׁכֶם, also lit. a shoulder, is used in a similar sense.] Comp. (Hoshea 6:9) “They murder on the way in unison (שֶׁכְמָה) ”; (Zeph. 3:9) “One accord (שְׁכֶם אֶחָד).” And so did Jonathan rendered it: And they shall join in one accord to smite the Philistines who are in the west. and the children of Ammon shall obey them: As the Targum states: Will hearken to them. They will accept their commandments over them. 15 And Adonai shall put under the ban the tongue of the Sea of Mitsrayim, and He shall wave His hand over the River with the might of His Spirit, and shall strike it in the seven streams, and shall cause men to tread it in sandals. Rashi: And… shall dry up: [lit. shall cut off] to dry it, so that the exiles of Israel will pass through it from Egypt. over the river: The Euphrates River, for the exiles from Assyria to cross. with the strength of His wind: Heb. בַּעְיָם. This is hapax legomenon in Scripture, and according to the context it can be interpreted as “with the strength of His wind.” into seven streams: into seven segments, for the aforementioned seven exiles: from Assyria and from Egypt, etc. Those from the islands of the sea are not from that side. and He shall lead: the exiles within it. with shoes: on dry land. 16 And there shall be a highway for the remnant of His people, those left from Ashshur, as it was for Yisra’ěl in the day when he came up from the land of Mitsrayim. Rashi: And there shall be a highway: in the midst of the water for the remnant of His people. Together we Triumph by Gal Einai February 28, 2024 "And they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines on the west; together shall they spoil the children of the east; they shall put forth their hand upon Edom and Moav; and the children of Amon shall obey them." (Isaiah 11:14) This verse refers to the days of Mashiach, when the Nation of Israel will defeat all its surrounding enemies. The verse is particularly relevant to us today, while we are fighting in Gaza. The Gaza Strip is the ancient “land of the Philistines.” Today’s “Palestinians” are the Arabs who live in Gaza, on Israel’s western flank, on the sea. To defeat the Philistines, we have to be united, as is written in the same prophecy about the ingathering of the distant members of the Nation of Israel and the unity between Judah and Efraim. “And they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines on the west.” Rashi explains: “Israel will fly and run with one shoulder upon the Philistines who are in the west of the Land of Israel and will conquer their land.” We have to be “with one shoulder” – united, shoulder-to-shoulder. Today, we can also add that “And they shall fly down” can be understood literally as the defeat of the Palestinians with Israel’s air force. Our soldiers will spread their wings and fly to destroy the enemy and assist the ground forces in their conquest of Gaza. We receive the power of “one shoulder” from Joseph, who is buried in Shechem (In Hebrew, Shechem is both the name of the city and means “shoulder”). Shechem is the city of the covenant, as we say in Psalms 80:2 “The shepherd of Israel, listen, He Who leads Joseph like a flock – appear, He Who is enthroned upon the cherubs.” (And in gematriah, עפו = יוסף: “shall fly” equals “Joseph”). The concept of “one shoulder” is connected to the ultimate Messianic purpose of rectification of the world, when all people will recognize God and the Torah of Moses: “For then will I turn to the peoples a pure language that they may all call upon the name of God, to serve Him with one shoulder.”[1] The current war in the land of the Philistines in the west, on the shores of the Great Sea, is particularly associated with the clarification and rectification of the Western world and Western culture, reaching to the US on the other side of the world. Triumph in the land of the Philistines is the realization of the promise in the Torah, “And I will place your border from the Red Sea until the Sea of the Philistines and from the desert to the river, for I will give the dwellers of the land into your hands and you shall expel them from before you.”[2] This is our map of the “New Middle East’: “From the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines” including the entire Sinai Peninsula. (Surrendering Sinai to Egypt 45 years ago was the root of all further surrenders and retreats). “From the desert to the river” – From the Sinai desert in the southwest until the Euphrates in the northeast. This includes the elimination of the combined threat from Syria-Iraq-Iran. And so in Isaiah’s prophecy, “together shall they spoil the children of the east” – the defeat of the enemies to the east (such as the hostile nations on the Arabian Peninsula).  “…for I will give the dwellers of the land into your hands and you shall expel them from before you.” This is the directive and our mission: to create a new Middle East, to expel Israel’s enemies from the Land of Israel – and to extend Israeli rule and benevolence to those non-Jews who desire the status of foreign resident in Israel. [1] Tzephania 3:9. [2] Exodus 23:31. Source: https://inner.org/together-we-triumph/  We like to invite you to join our new social network where you shall find good Torah and News Updates from Yisrael even translated Israeli Newspapers articles click picture: Blessings  Bet Yisrael International From Gaddi and Ariel, Many Blessings to all the ShneymAsarHaShevatim (Twelve Tribes) in the Golus, Shalom! @Bayit - Profiles click: For donations, on https://link.space/@Bayit click: $support me Click:  Ariel your Representee, Representee of Ephraim and adviser (not a rabbi but friendly adviser) of Bet Yisrael international on the Har HaBayit.