B'nai B'rith, through its Center for Jewish Identity and its World Center in Jerusalem, has worked with Yad Vashem, The Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Authority in Israel, to bring this program to communities across the United States and Canada for 20 years. The project was based on the Israeli poem by Zelda, “Unto Every Person There is a Name.”
This year, the theme of the program is “Children in the Holocaust.” B’nai B’rith-provided names from the Yad Vashem Hall of Names, for ceremonies in more than 200 locations, from San Francisco to Huntington, W.Va.
The public recitation of names coordinated by B'nai B'rith is held in community centers, synagogues, schools, outside town halls, and in public parks to make sure that each name is recalled. This assures that the world hears that each name was a human being, not just a number. For many on this list, this will be only time that their name has been said aloud, as entire families were wiped out by the Nazis. Readers include survivors, community leaders, and clergy members from many faiths.
This year, B’nai B’rith is partnering with the Jewish fraternity Alpha Eplison Pi (AEPi), which has linked the “Unto” program with their Yom HaShoah observance, “We Walk to Remember.” More than 65 campuses have signed on to bring the “Unto” program to their school during the week of Yom HaShoah. Participating universities include the Connecticut, Michigan State, Cornell, UCLA, Purdue, Texas, Miami, and Georgetown.
For more information on ceremonies taking place across North America, contact Rhonda Love at 212-490-3290 or rlove@bnaibrith.org.
The world remained indifferent while Jews perished; our remembrance includes our commitment to educate future generations to never forget and to speak out for other victims of genocide.
