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Remembering the Holocaust – Sharing Memories in the Living Room
Five years ago, a group of Israeli activists developed a new way to commemorate Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Friends would gather in someone’s living room, listen to a Holocaust survivor share his or her story, express themselves through related art, and take part in a discussion about the Holocaust. The project was called, “Zikaron BaSalon,” “Memories in the Living Room.” Since its inception, half a million individuals around the world have taken part in it, including dozens of JWRP sisters.
“In the past, there weren’t many ways to actively participate in commemorating the Holocaust,” said Dana Sender-Mulla, the JWRP’s Israel Director, and one of the founding members of Zikaron BaSalon. “You could listen to the siren that sounds throughout Israel on Yom HaShoah, take part in a ceremony, or watch a movie, but that was about it. Zikaron BaSalon enables people to become part of the memory and express their thoughts about it in an intimate and communal setting.”
Each year, Dana has hosted a Zikaron BaSalon gathering and invited a survivor to speak. But since then, two of the survivors have died. Because there are fewer and fewer survivors alive, Dana believes that it’s crucial to offer living survivors a space to share their stories and to make it clear that the next generation wants to hear them. In recent years, Zikaron BaSalon events have also featured the children and grandchildren of survivors, as well as Holocaust historians.
Holocaust Remembrance Day, which occurs a few weeks after Passover, emphasizes similar responsibilities that resonate with parents: teaching our children about our past, feeling connected to our collective memories, and learning from past experiences.
“As mothers, we are all educators, and it’s a privilege and necessity to teach our children our shared history,” said Dana. “When we share these stories with our children, these stories live on.”
Holocaust Remembrance Day begins at sundown on April 23. To get involved in Zikaron BaSalon, visit https://www.zikaronbasalon.org/.