Yom Hashoah – Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day

Yom Hashoah – Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day is a national day of commemoration in Israel, on which the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust are memorialized. It begins on the evening of the 27th of Nissan which this year falls on May 1st. The central ceremonies, in the evening and the following morning, are held at Yad Vashem – The Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority.

Each year at the ceremony, six torches are lit in memory of the six millions Jews murdered during the Holocaust. The torchlighters are people whose wartime experiences reflects the central theme chosen by Yad Vashem. Their personal stories can be read here.

And here are photos of how they look today in 2011 — alive, well and living in the Jewish state — something Hitler hoped they would never see.