Hitkansut: A South Bay Ritual Gathering for Yom Hashoah

With fewer and fewer Holocaust survivors in our midst to share their own stories, the responsibility to remember is becoming a collective endeavor. We are called to listen to the voices of the past while drawing on our own memories, associations, and understandings in the present. Based on the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Hitkansut Haggadah: A Ritual Gathering for Yom Hashoah, the ceremony will weave together literary texts, testimonies, prayer, music, and moments of silence. Like the Passover Seder, it invites all who attend to participate in the act of memory.

This gathering is meant for all ages: those whose families were impacted directly by the Holocaust and those whose families were not. Led by members from across our Silicon Valley Jewish community, including children, survivors and their descendants, and clergy, it will be held on Sunday, May 5 at 7 pm at Congregation Sinai, located at 1532 Willowbrae Avenue, San Jose, CA  95125. You can register here: https://www.sinai-sj.org/events/yomhashoah2024. There is no cost to attend. You also join remotely by live stream.

CHAIM, a local, mobile Holocaust memorial and educational exhibit, will be open in the Congregation Sinai foyer from April 12 through May 12.  

You are welcome to come by yourself or bring a group. To schedule a personal time to visit, call 408-264-8542, or email office@sinai-sj.org. Contact Iris at irisbendahan@gmail.com to schedule a group visit.