B’nai B’rith International is observing Holocaust Remembrance Day with its annual program “Unto Every Person There is a Name,” now in its 24th year. B’nai B’rith is the official North American sponsor of the program created by Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. Participants name the victims of the Shoah and where and when they were born and died. The ceremonies occur on the 27th day of the month of Nissan on the Jewish calendar. These observances honor more victims each year, as the project collects more names.
Yad Vashem’s—Israel’s official Holocaust museum and research center—suggested theme for this year’s Yom Hashoah is “Defiance and Rebellion during the Holocaust: 70 Years since the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.” Throughout the week of April 8, B’nai B’rith groups and committees will hold programs across North America that include speakers and readings in synagogues, Jewish community centers and public places such as Holocaust Memorials and community parks.
“It’s incredible to watch how ‘Unto Every Person There is a Name’ has grown since its inception in 1989,” B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs said. “It is important that we never forget the atrocities of the Holocaust and individually recognize all those who perished.”
In addition to community observances, B’nai B’rith partners with the Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) fraternity for “We Walk to Remember” on 110 college campuses throughout the United States, Canada, Israel and the United Kingdom. Members of AEPi will participate in both the walk and “Unto Every Person There is a Name” programming.
Speaking from the Walk at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin said, “I’m honored to take part in ‘We Walk to Remember.’ B’nai B’rith has a great partnership with AEPi and we’re wholly behind its efforts to make sure the Holocaust is never forgotten by today’s youth.”
This is the 5th year B’nai B’rith and AEPi have worked together on Holocaust Remembrance Day programming. The combination of the two powerful programs has created a lasting impact on campuses across the globe. It demonstrates that young people on campus understand the importance of remembering and have taken on the responsibility to tell the story of the victims of the Holocaust.
“‘We Walk to Remember’ is a program that quintessentially represents what it means to be in Alpha Epsilon Pi,” said AEPi Howard M. Lorber Director of Jewish and Philanthropy Programming Adam Maslia. “Stepping up as leaders in the Jewish community in partnership with B'nai B'rith International, the brothers of AEPi have crafted the world's largest on-campus Holocaust commemoration event that is so simple, yet so impactful and effective in ensuring that the world never forgets the atrocities of the Shoah."
On the morning of April 8, the B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem and the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (KKL-JNF) held a unique joint Holocaust commemoration ceremony dedicated to the heroism of Jews who rescued fellow Jews during the Holocaust. Taking place at the Martyr’s Forest “Scroll of Fire” Plaza with about 900 people in attendance, 29 Rescuers Citations were awarded to Jews who employed subterfuge, forgery, smuggling, concealment and other methods to ensure that some Jews survived the Holocaust in Europe or assisted them in escaping to a safe haven.