Holocaust Memorial Day, 27 January

[LlynTegid]

I have ancestors who were Jewish, though not myself. Six of whom died in the Holocaust.

When I found this out a few years ago, the death that most affected me was that of Maurice, cousin of my mum. He was in Auschwitz up until six days before the liberation, at which point he was moved to Buchenwald. Unlike the other five, he has not a date of death so no precise anniversary to remember him, though he is remembered in the Shoah Memorial in Paris.

I am able to remember him and the other five ancestors, perhaps we should think of those who have no one to remember them.

I'm sorry for the suffering your family has been through. I think it's lovely that you're making sure to remember those in your family who perished though - it's actually a pretty important Jewish concept to remember those who came before us.

For Yom Hashoah (the Israeli Holocaust memorial day) you can usually order memorial candles to light which come with a little card with details of a victim of the holocaust so everyone can be remembered, even those who no longer have family to help keep their memory alive. Sounds like something you might be interested in :) Although of course, just lighting a candle and thinking of those who died is also enough, and I will join you in doing so on 27 January. Thank you for suggesting it

I always light a candle for each of my relatives that I didn't know but want their memory to not be forgotten

@LlynTegid Have you visited the Shoah Memorial to see his name inscribed? The Wall of Names is so moving. The children's memorial in the museum really takes my breath away though, it's quite overwhelming.

Are you on Facebook op?...the Auschwitz memorial/museum has a Facebook page. Every day they post photographs of people who were imprisoned there and a short description of their life and what happened to them. It's very moving and very important imo for us to see their faces and hear their names.

Yad vashem also has a database you can search through of shoah victims.

Forgot to say, I found some of my relatives on there

I will be lighting a candle! I order mine from the Holocaust Memorial Day trust.

@Humdingerydoo are these the ones you mean for Yom HaShoah? https://www.yellowcandleuk.org/
I’ve registered my interest but can’t find anywhere to order as such

my grandfather was a buchenwald survivor- The only one of his family to survive

Yes, those are the ones I meant! Can usually get hold of them a bit closer to the time.

I'm sorry about your grandfather's family 😔

@etmoiandme I have visited the Shoah Memorial in Paris several times, and was able to take my mum there whilst still able to travel. Last time I was there was for a commemoration and reading of the names of all those deported on the convoy in March 1943 to Sobibor (via Buchenwald as it turns out), which includes two of the six ancestors of mine. About forty people took it in turns to read out names, if it was a child their age was read out, and if it was a grandparent, this was said as well. Apart from when a mum and daughter came to the lecturn together, and the mum only read out one name, that of her mother.

In Paris near the Eiffel tower there is a memorial to the children deported in 1942, which includes one of my ancestors age 15.

@etmoiandme The wall of children includes said 15 year old, who bears a resemblance to one of my living relatives at that age.

Oh that's very interesting to know. I searched on yad vashem and found out my grandmothers brother was deported to Auschwitz from France in 1942 when he was 13

@LlynTegid I'm glad you were able to take your mum to the Memorial. I've been to the Vél d'hiv garden - the memorials bring a weird comfort don't they, despite the utter sadness and pain. My grandparents families on my mother's side were from Paris. Some of them lived around Le Marais on the 4th, where the Shoah Memorial is now.