Yom HaShoah in United States
Quick FactsMany people in the United States observe Yom Hashoah by remembering Holocaust victims who died during World War II.
|יום הזיכרון לשואה ולגבורה||Hebrew|
|ذكرى الكارثة والبطولة||Arabic|
|홀로 코스트와 영웅 현충일||Korean|
Alternative nameHolocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day
Yom HaShoah 2013Monday, April 8, 2013
Yom HaShoah 2014Monday, April 28, 2014
Note: Jewish holidays begin at sundown the day before the date specified for the holiday.
List of dates for other years
Many people in the United States observe Yom Hashoah, which is also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day. It commemorates the lives and heroism of Jewish people who died in the Holocaust between 1933 and 1945.
©iStockphoto.com/Brittany Carter Courville
What do people do?
Many people in the United States, 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. Activities may include lighting memorial candles and reciting the Kaddish, which is a prayer for the departed.
The Masorti (Conservative Judaism) movement in Israel created Megillat HaShoah, a scroll and liturgical reading for Yom HaShoah. This is a joint effort between Jewish leaders in Israel, the United States and Canada. Rituals associated with Yom Hashoah are still being made and suggested. These rituals vary among synagogues in North America.
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, as well as a Holocaust-themed film.
Yom Hashoah is not a federal public holiday in the United States. The state of Israel moves the observance of Yom Hashoah when the actual date falls on a Friday or Sunday. It is then observed on the preceding Thursday or following Monday, respectively. Some communities in the US also follow this tradition, and there might therefore be some discrepancy about the actual date Yom Hashoah is observed in the US.
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. The full name of the day is Yom Hashoah Ve-Hagevurah, which means the "Day of (remembrance of) the Holocaust and the Heroism".
About Yom HaShoah in other countriesRead more about Yom HaShoah.
Yom HaShoah ObservancesNote: 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 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|
|Thu||Apr 7||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|
|Thu||Apr 19||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|
|Thu||May 5||2005||Yom HaShoah||Jewish holiday|
|Tue||Apr 25||2006||Yom HaShoah||Jewish holiday|
|Sun||Apr 15||2007||Yom HaShoah||Jewish holiday|
|Thu||May 1||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|
|Wed||Apr 18||2012||Yom HaShoah||Jewish holiday|
|Mon||Apr 8||2013||Yom HaShoah||Jewish holiday|
|Mon||Apr 28||2014||Yom HaShoah||Jewish holiday|
|Wed||Apr 15||2015||Yom HaShoah||Jewish holiday|
|Wed||May 4||2016||Yom HaShoah||Jewish holiday|
|Mon||Apr 24||2017||Yom HaShoah||Jewish holiday|
|Wed||Apr 11||2018||Yom HaShoah||Jewish holiday|
|Wed||May 1||2019||Yom HaShoah||Jewish holiday|
|Tue||Apr 21||2020||Yom HaShoah||Jewish holiday|
Other holidays in April 2013 in United States
- César Chávez Day ―Monday, April 1, 2013
- April Fool's Day ―Monday, April 1, 2013
- Easter Monday ―Monday, April 1, 2013
- Pascua Florida Day ―Tuesday, April 2, 2013
- Last Day of Passover ―Tuesday, April 2, 2013
- World Autism Awareness Day ―Tuesday, April 2, 2013
- United Nations' Mine Awareness Day ―Thursday, April 4, 2013
- National Tartan Day ―Saturday, April 6, 2013
- Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Rwanda Genocide ―Sunday, April 7, 2013
- United Nations' World Health Day ―Sunday, April 7, 2013
- International Day of Human Space Flight ―Friday, April 12, 2013
- Tax Day ―Monday, April 15, 2013
- Father Damien Day ―Monday, April 15, 2013
- Patriot's Day ―Monday, April 15, 2013
- Yom Ha'atzmaut ―Tuesday, April 16, 2013
- Emancipation Day ―Tuesday, April 16, 2013
- International Day for Monuments and Sites ―Thursday, April 18, 2013
- San Jacinto Day ―Sunday, April 21, 2013
- Oklahoma Day ―Monday, April 22, 2013
- Confederate Memorial Day ―Monday, April 22, 2013
- Earth Day ―Monday, April 22, 2013
- World Book and Copyright Day ―Tuesday, April 23, 2013
- English Language Day ―Tuesday, April 23, 2013
- Administrative Professionals Day ―Wednesday, April 24, 2013
- World Malaria Day ―Thursday, April 25, 2013
- World Intellectual Property Day ―Friday, April 26, 2013
- Arbor Day ―Friday, April 26, 2013
- Lag BaOmer ―Sunday, April 28, 2013
- World Day for Safety and Health at Work ―Sunday, April 28, 2013
- Confederate Memorial Day ―Monday, April 29, 2013
- Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare ―Monday, April 29, 2013
- International Jazz Day ―Tuesday, April 30, 2013
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