Candle lighting on the morning of Yom HaShoah is an annual tradition for staff of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. We normally gather in person before the Museum opens to the public to hold this ceremony. We are honored to be able to share our ceremony in this way this year.
Candle lighting is a traditional component of Jewish remembrance rituals. Our six candles commemorate the murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust. As a Museum staff member reads each statement, we light each memorial candle. The Statements of Remembrance that we use each year were written by MJH Gallery Educator and Holocaust survivor Norbert Friedman. A survivor of 11 concentration camps, Norbert Friedman served in the first class of Gallery Educators when the Museum opened to the public in 1997. We are honored to use his words in our ceremony today.