Denying that the Holocaust occurred is impossible in light of the evidence available to attest to this sorrowful event. A great collection of evidence and artifacts is available at Yad V'Shem in Mount Herzl Jerusalem, Israel. It is difficult to look at the collection of shoes belonging to the victims of the Holocaust, the collection of photos, documents, personal artifacts and fail to acknowledge this heart wrenching occurrence. The mountain of evidence for the Holocaust speaks for itself. The Nuremberg Trial for war crimes held after WW II left behind a compilation and detailed documentation of war crimes that included crimes associated with the Holocaust. Prosecutors realized the best evidence against war criminals was the detailed documentation left behind by the German government itself. This public record of war crimes associated with the Holocaust provides evidence for the Holocaust that cannot be refuted.

Yad V' Shem means a place and a name or memorial taken from the prophet Isaiah 56:5

"Even unto them will I give in mine house

and within my walls

a place and a name

better than of sons and of daughters:

I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off."
 

Yad V' Shem was established as a memorial to remember the names of the 5.7 million Jews who were cut off in the prime of their lives, one half of these victims gased, the other half were shot, starved and died by epidemics so that the world will know they did indeed live, each individual had a distinct place in human existence and each had a specific name none of which will ever be forgotten forever. We take a moment to acknowledge each individual and that each did have a specific place and name in creation and in history.

God cared deeply for each of the holocaust souls and Yad V' Shem provides a means to show we care about their souls as well. We also acknowledge many of them had no one to carry on their names thus we carry on their names in our memories. Each year we remember the victims of the Holocaust on Holocaust Rememberance Day - Yom Ha Shoah - literally translated 'Day the Catastrophe.'

On Yom Ha Shoah the Mourner's Kaddish is said for the Jewry who died during the Holocaust which is consistent with Kaddish being said daily in memory of the deceased for 30 days, up to 11 months for parents and annually on the aniversary of the death. Also in Israel a ceremony is held at Yad V' Shem, flags are flown half staff on all buildings, 10:00 AM an air raid siren is sounded for 2 minutes throughout the entire country and people stop what they are doing, motorists stop and stand by their vehicle during the siren sound.

Yom Ha Shoah should not be confused with Yom Ha Zikkaron which means the Day of Rememberance, literally translated Day the Essence, the day when man was created in the essence or image of God, a day when we ask God to help us realize our God given image and likeness or Day the Rememberance which follows Yom Ha Shoah. It is also Israel's Memorial Day and Independence Day to remember all fallen soldiers. Also the Torah and Old Testament Leviticus 23:24-25 uses the term Yom Ha Zikkaron for the festival of Rosh Ha Shanah. God always uses the words v' zikkor 'and remembered' such as Genesis 8:1 translated 'and God remembered Noah' in Hebrew  v' zikkor Elohim Noah.

Application is it is right and fitting to remember that we were created in God's image and likeness which is His essence and to ask God to help you see that manifested to the full. All life is important to God and God remembers each and every person He has created even after we die. We are remembered for ever, why not give God good memories of us by the way we live our lives? I'm All In & Hope UR2!