03/24/2024
Each year in observance of Yom HaShoah, the Men of Fairmount Temple assemble and deliver memorial candles to our congregants. We have been fortunate that in each year the volunteer drivers have been able to make delivery to all ACFT congregants within and adjacent to Cuyahoga County, as well as to apartments, condominiums and gated communities.
On Sunday morning March 24, 2024, Men of Fairmount packed over 600 candles to be delivered on nearly 100 routes throughout northeast Ohio. Pictured here is the work team preparing the delivery bags. Each bag contains a candle, a flyer on the program, and an envelope to donate to support the program. Funds received in excess of expenses are donated to the religious school.
Lester Potash, a past president of Men of Fairmount, organizes the annual event being a master of route selection and logistics to acquire the candles and materials for packing. This year Lester's granddaughter Rose helped out being an energetic and efficient worker putting address labels on all of the donation envelopes. Great job Rose!
All of the candles will be delivered in time for observance in homes which is May 5th in 2024.
About Yom Hashoah
The internationally recognized date for Holocaust Remembrance Day corresponds to the 27th day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar. It marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
Shoah, which means “catastrophe” or “utter destruction” in Hebrew, refers to the atrocities that were committed against the Jewish people during World War II. This is a memorial day for those who died in the Shoah. The Shoah is also known as the Holocaust, from a Greek word meaning "sacrifice by fire."
The Holocaust was the largest manifestation of antisemitism in recent history. Yom HaShoah reminds us of the horrors that Jews and other persecuted groups faced: forced labor, starvation, humiliation, and torture, which often resulted in death. It was a systematic effort to wipe out an entire population from the face of the earth.
Many commemorate Yom HaShoah by lighting yellow candles to keep alive the memories of the victims. Most synagogues and Jewish communities gather together to mark the day through worship, music and the stories from survivors.
