What’s the purpose of remembering?

This week there is a day on my calendar called Yom HaShoah. It’s the day on which Jews remember the destruction of 6 million Jewish souls in the Holocaust. This day in April(ish) each year, is distinct from International Holocaust Remembrance Day. That one falls in January and honors the memory of the estimated 11-17 million people murdered in the Holocaust. Which begs the question – why do we have a separate day?

And the answer is… purpose.

We have different purposes for honoring memories. Take for example, Memorial Day here in the US. This is a day meant to honor the servicemembers who have died fighting for safety and peace for America. And most people who focus on the day for that purpose use it to elevate the service of their own lost family member or to comfort and thank the families who sacrificed a loved one for such a reason.

We all have memories that we honor. Those memories can make us feel more harmed or forgotten. Or they can make us more resilient. And that tipping point between feeling diminished and being strengthened is really in the question “What do you learn from that loss?”

This year I ​challenged my own community​ to think about Yom HaShoah and figure out what we can learn. But I’m turning to you and asking – whomever you lost, can you honor them by learning from them? How can their memory make you stronger and more resilient?

All my best,

Dr. G