On Yom HaShoah, we remember the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and honor the lives, families, and communities that were destroyed. Remembrance is not only about looking back. It is about shaping how we show up in the present.
The Holocaust did not begin with violence, but with ideas, othering, and the erosion of human dignity. At a time when antisemitism continues to surface in both overt and subtle ways, Yom HaShoah calls on us to remain vigilant, to recognize early signs, to speak out, and to stand with clarity and pride in our Jewish identity.
At the Maas Center for Jewish Journeys at American Jewish University, dedicated to Jewish learning, connection, and belonging, we see memory as an active responsibility. Through education, conversation, and community, we work to ensure that the lessons of the past inform a more thoughtful, compassionate, and resilient future.
May the memory of those we lost be a blessing and a responsibility we carry forward together.
