HOUSTON, TX (April 29, 2008) - Holocaust Museum Houston will sponsor a citywide commemoration of Yom HaShoah
on Thursday, May 1, 2008, in remembrance of the 6 million Jews who died
during the Nazi atrocities of the Holocaust during World War II.
Yom HaShoah is an internationally recognized and respected
event of solemn commemoration and will be observed in Houston beginning
at 7 p.m. at Congregation Emanu El, 1500 Sunset Blvd. The service will
be free and open to the public.
The Yom HaShoah service is coordinated by the Yom HaShoah
Committee and Holocaust Museum Houston. This year's event is chaired by
Lea Weems, with underwriting provided by the Morgan Family Endowment
Fund, with special thanks to Continental Airlines, official airline of
Holocaust Museum Houston.
Speakers will include Holocaust survivor Ruth Steinfeld, Holocaust
Museum Houston Chairman Walter Hecht and The Honorable Asher Yarden,
consul general of Israel. Holocaust survivors from the Houston area
also will participate in a commemorative candle-lighting ceremony. The
event will include performances by the HaZamir Houston Choir and
several cantors from the Houston Jewish community.
Yom HaShoah corresponds annually to the historical beginning of the
Warsaw Ghetto uprising in 1943. In 1951, the Israeli Knesset formally
established the date as the 27th day of the Jewish month of Nisan. On
the solar calendar, that date falls between late April and early May.
Yom HaShoah is recognized around the world as a time to remember the
victims of the Holocaust, many of whose date and place of death is
still unknown.
Holocaust Museum Houston is dedicated to
educating people about the Holocaust, remembering the 6 million Jews
and other innocent victims and honoring the survivors' legacy. Using
the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides, the Museum teaches
the dangers of hatred, prejudice and apathy.
Holocaust Museum Houston is free and open to the public and is
located in Houston's Museum District at 5401 Caroline St., Houston, TX
77004.
For more information about Holocaust Museum Houston, call 713-942-8000 or visit www.hmh.org.