On Sunday, April 26, will take place the 41st Christian Commemoration of the Shoah. On this occasion, Christian communities are invited to commemorate the Shoah the Shoah during their religious services, few days after Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day) is being observed on Tuesday April 21st.
No “physical” religious gathering is possible in this exceptional year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, but several churches are offering alternative ways to join for prayer through religious services broadcast on television or internet.
During the Second World War, the Nazis murdered six million Jews and many others. Jews call this disaster the Shoah, “the annihilation” and commemorate it every year. In 1999, the National Assembly of Quebec officially recognized “Yom HaShoah” (Holocaust Memorial Day) and encouraged people to join in this commemoration, as did the Government of Canada in 2003.
You will find below a Commemorative Prayer which can easily be inserted into most Christian religious liturgies. It is available both in the form of a video (see below) and a document text which could be used in live streamed or prerecorded services.
You will find also additional suggested Resources for a more elaborated Commemoration.
In the Commemorative Prayer, Christians express their compassion for the immense suffering of both the victims and the survivors of the Holocaust. They also affirm their strong commitment to preventing and combating current anti-Semitism, as well as other forms of racism and intolerance. Christians affirm their commitment to building relationships of respect, esteem and solidarity not only between Christians and Jews, but also between all their fellow citizens, be they believers or not, especially when they are weakened, stigmatized or marginalized.
All these resources have been prepared with care by the Christian Jewish Dialogue of Montreal (CJDM). For additional information, please contact Jean Duhaime, chair of the planning committee (jean.duhaime@umontreal.ca; 514-973-0456).
CJDM Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ChristianJewishDialogueOfMontreal/