Yom HaShoah

Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) is observed by Jews around the world each spring.  It is a day to remember and grieve for the 6 million of our people whose lives were taken by the Nazis and their collaborators before and during World War II.  In 1995 Temple Beth Shalom invited all residents of Spokane for the first Spokane Community Observance of the Holocaust.  The Community Observance has been presented every year since as a time to remember and grieve, but also to honor the survivors and rescuers and, most importantly, to learn lessons about how to make genocide a tragedy of the past.

The Spokane Community Observance of the Holocaust includes annual Writing and Art contests that challenge secondary school students all over our region to compete for scholarships by composing essays and poems or submitting artwork that respond to the theme of the year. 

Next year's theme will be announced in early 2025.