Nashville’s Holocaust Memorial invites the entire community of Nashville to a special tour of its grounds on January 27, 2025, at 2:00 pm. Docent Chair, Marsha Raimi, will highlight the experiences of her father, Saul Raimi/Betzalel Reingevirtz (z.l.), who survived over two years in Auschwitz concentration camp and a 150-kilometer death march through Germany. Approximately 125 of his family members, from two towns in Poland, were murdered. Immediately after emigrating to Israel in 1948, he fought in its War for Independence. He subsequently emigrated to suburban Detroit, Michigan where he raised his family and spoke at what is now the Zekelman Holocaust Center for twenty years. The dates of both Yom HaShoah and International Holocaust Remembrance Day are intertwined with his personal history.
The country of Israel instituted Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, in 1951, only six years after World War II ended. Most Jewish communities throughout the world, including in the United States, adopted the day as a time to commemorate the approximately six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust by Nazi Germany and its collaborators, and to honor the Jewish resistance from 1939 to 1945. After considering several dates for the commemoration, including the start of the war (September 1st), or the day the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began (14th of Nisan), Knesset selected the 27th of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, April 23rd in 2025, for its symbolism almost exactly between Passover and Israel Independence Day. Like many other communities in the Diaspora (outside Israel), Nashville observes Yom HaShoah on the Sunday closest to the Hebrew date.
It wasn’t until 2005 that the United Nations passed General Assembly Resolution 60/7 to create an international memorial day. The resolution came after a special session was held earlier that year on January 24th to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps and the end of the Holocaust. January 27th was chosen to commemorate the date when the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by the Red (Soviet) Army in 1945. (Source: Wikipedia)
Nashville’s Holocaust Memorial, located on the grounds of the Gordon Jewish Community Center in Bellevue, is a sacred space for remembering those who suffered during the Holocaust. The twelve Pillars of Remembrance contain names of family members who perished, as well as those who survived and subsequently lived in the Nashville area.
Holocaust Memorial Committee Chair, Felicia Anchor said, “For many of us second- and third-generation survivors, there is no cemetery we can visit to remember and honor our loved ones lost in the Shoah. The Memorial was created for this purpose; as well as to educate future generations about the dangers of antisemitism and other forms of hatred.”
To reserve your space, or ask questions, email us at NashvilleHolocaustMemorial@gmail.com
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