The Holocaust Memory
Yom HaShoah, the State of Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, is a somber day to pay tribute to the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust and to remember the Jewish physical and spiritual resistence in that dark time. Part of KKL-JNF’s “National Month” from Passover through Yom Yerusahlayim, KKL-JNF marks Holocaust Rememberance Day with ceremonies at its many forests and memorial sites established in commemoration of those who lost their lives at the hands of the Nazis.
This year we marked the Holocaust Remembrance Day differently, but the essence of the day will not change – to always remember and never forget. Â
Always Remember and Never Forget
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Rare Color Footage of Pre-Holocaust Jewish Life
This an assemblage of color footage from Jewish life in the shtetl. The Yiddish term “shtetl” refers to the Jewish towns in Eastern Europe before World War II, which generally
Jewish Life Before the Holocaust
This informative documentary [04:37] published by Yad Vashem shows original footage of Jewish life before the Holocaust. It also includes texts from pre-war diary entries, notebooks, and letters of children’s
German Jewish Life During the Rise of Nazism
 As the Nazis rose to power and began excluding Jews from social and economic organizations, Jews found the need to establish their own. Roman Vishniac, an esteemed Jewish photography, was commissioned
A Moving Story of a Holocaust Survivor’s Liberation from the Nazis
In this moving interview [02:21], Holocaust survivor Gerda Klein recalls her feelings upon being liberated from the Nazis. After six tortuous years, during which she prayed constantly for freedom, American
The Jewish Partisans in the Rudniki Forest
This article from Yad Vashem documents the story of “Yechiel’s Struggle Group,” a team of 70 Jewish partisan fighters from the Vilna Ghetto who came to live in and fight from
The Story of the Bielski Partisan Group
This brief documentary film [06:45] is published by the Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation, an organization committed to educating youth about the Jewish partisans and the essential lessons to be learned
The Jewish Partisans of Eastern Europe: How They Survived in the Forest
The Jewish partisans in Eastern Europe faced constant struggle, fighting their enemies while also perpetually seeking food and shelter. In the following four brief documentaries, published by the Jewish Partisan Educational
Jewish Life in Liepaja, Latvia Before the Holocaust
In this interview [03:31]Â with Holocaust survivor Frieda Ende of Liepaja, Latvia, Ende provides anecdotes from her life before the Holocaust. She shares her memories of Passover Seders her family hosted,
Photography as a Form of Resistance Against the Nazis
Mendel Grossman, a Jewish photographer employed by the Department of Statistics in the Lodz Ghetto, was hired to photograph the factories in the ghetto and to take identification pictures. However, he risked his life
An Introduction to the Jewish Partisans of Eastern Europe
This informative documentary [06:36], published by the Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation, briefly tells the story of the Jewish partisans during World War II. The Jewish partisans were comprised of 30,0000
Itzhak Katzenelson: Accomplished Author, Dramatist, and Educator
Before the German occupation of Poland, Itzhak Katzenelson (1885-1944) contributed greatly to the vibrant Jewish culture in Lodz, Poland, through establishing a Jewish school, a Hebrew theater company, writing poetry,
The Moving Story of Janusz Korczak and the Dom Sierot Orphanage
This video [04:25], published by Yad Vashem, tells the moving story of Janusz Korczak (1878-1942), a Jewish pediatrician, author, and teacher, who headed the Dom Sierot orphanage for Jewish children
Mordechai Anielewicz and The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
This documentary [04:45] portrays the events of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, led by the 23-year-old Mordechai Anielewicz. Included in this film is an excerpt from Anielewicz’s last letter to Yitzchak
Testimonies from Survivors of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
This film [08:28], produced by Yad Vashem, includes a compilation of testimonies from survivors of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Most of the fighters in the Uprising were teens and young
Cultural Entertainment in the Warsaw Ghetto
Despite the horrendous living conditions in the Warsaw Ghetto, there were professional theaters featuring music and drama performances in both Polish and Yiddish. Some cafes and clubs even offered live performances
The Story Behind the Song Ani Ma’amin
This film [03:52], produced by Chabad of Venice, tells the moving story of cantor Azriel David Fastig’s composition of a new melody for “Ani Ma’amin,” while being transported to Treblinka in
The Mailman of the Warsaw Ghetto
This animated video [06:52], produced by Yad Vashem, portrays life in the Warsaw Ghetto from the unique perspective of the Jewish letter carrier, Peretz Opoczynski. Opoczynski contributed to the Oneg
The Sonderkommando Revolt in Auschwitz
In this interview [03:50], Dario Gabbai recalls his participation in the Sonderkommando revolt in Auschwitz-II Birkenau, on October 7, 1944. The Nazis forced the Jewish Sonderkommandos to undertake the hellish tasks of
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Music
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Yiddish Tango During World War II
As tango gained popularity during the 1930s, Jewish musicians in Eastern Europe began fusing traditional Jewish music with modern tango, giving rise to Yiddish Tango. This music was popular before
Holocaust Requiem
The above video [06:00] includes the music and narrative from Zlata Razdolina’s Holocaust Requiem– an orchestral adaptation of Itzhak Katzenelson’s well-known poem, “Song of the Murdered Jewish People.” This depiction
Yiddish Theater in the Vilna Ghetto
“Yisrolik,” created by writer Leyb Rozental and composer Misha Veksler, reflects the resilient spirit of the Jews of Vilna. Though most of the Vilna Jews were murdered in the horrific
The Jewish Partisans’ Song: A Tribute to the Heroic Jews of the Holocaust
The Jewish Partisans’ Song, “Zog Nit Keynmol” (Never Say), Â was written in 1943 by Hirsch Glick in the Vilna Ghetto. Inspired by the courageous Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising,
A Song from Theresienstadt
Gideon Klein, the composer of this choral piece, “Spruch” (Verdict), wrote it while in Theresienstadt, a transit camp for Czech Jews before they were carted off to the extermination camps.
More Stories
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Children in the Holocaust
This comprehensive article from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum includes pictures and testimonies from those who survived the Holocaust as children.Tragically, 1.5 million children (1 million of whom were
A Moving Violin Performance in Auschwitz
This video from Aish recounts the dramatic story of Prisoner Srebrenik’s captivating violin performance in Auschwitz. For some inexplicable reason, this time the Nazi soldiers allowed the Jewish musician to
Janusz Korczak, a Champion of Children’s Rights
Janusz Korczak dedicated his life to helping children, he directed the Dom Sierot Orphanage, was a pediatrician, teacher, and authored books for and about children. Among his writings are his
Janusz Korczak: Excerpts and Beliefs
This is a collection of quotes from Janusz Korczak’s writings, which illustrate his beliefs about children and their place in the world. Korczak’s unique and pioneering contributions not only helped
The Auschwitz Album
The Auschwitz Album is the only existing visual evidence of the complete process of genocide of the Jews at Auschwitz. The photos depict the Jews’ arrival to the death camp,
Roman Vishniak’s Photographs of Jewish Life in Eastern Europe Before the Holocaust
These photographs, taken by the renowned Jewish photographer Roman Vishniac (1897-1990) and curated by Maya Benton, reveal glimpses of pre-war Jewish life in Eastern Europe. Vishniac was commissioned by the
Henryk Ross: A Jewish Photographer in the Lodz Ghetto
This video [04:01] illustrates the pivotal historical role of Henryk Ross, a Jew hired to be the official photographer of the Lodz ghetto. His job was to take identification photos
Itzhak Katzenelson’s “Song of the Murdered Jewish People”
Itzhak Kazenelson (1886-1944) was a teacher, dramatist, and author of Hebrew and Yiddish Poetry. A pioneering maskil, he opened a secular Jewish school and a Hebrew theater group in Lodz.
The Spiritual Heroism of the Jews in the Holocaust
Itzhak Katznelson (1886-1944) was an accomplished dramatist, poet, and teacher. While living in the Warsaw Ghetto, he wrote over 40 works, including “The Song of the Radzyn Rebbe,” (1942-1943), which emphasizes the