Holocaust Memorial - Unto Every Person There is a Name

Unto Every Person There is a Name

Every year on Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Knesset holds the "Unto Every Person There is a Name" ceremony in the Chagall State Hall. Names of Holocaust victims are read aloud during the ceremony, the name of which is derived from the poem "Unto Every Person There is a Name, Bestowed on him by his Father and Mother," written by Zelda (1914 – 1984). It was first held in 1989, at the initiative of Knesset Speaker Dov Shilansky.

This official state ceremony is presented jointly by the Knesset, "Yad Vashem" remembrance authority, and the Information Bureau of the Prime Minister’s Office. It is held at 11:00 on that day, following the wreath-laying ceremony at "Yad Vashem," and attended by the Speaker of the Knesset, President of the State and the Prime Minister. Other participants include the Chief Rabbis, ministers, former and current Knesset members, members of the board of "Yad Vashem," members of youth movements, soldiers, representatives of immigrant organizations, foreign delegates, and others.

The main event at the ceremony is the vocal reading of names of people who perished in the Holocaust, and among them family members and acquaintances of the participants. Six representatives – Holocaust survivors and representatives of the second and third generation – light candles in memory of the perished. One of the chief rabbis reads sections from Psalms, while his fellow chief rabbi recites Kaddish. A military Hazzan sings the "El Male Rachamim" prayer. The ceremony also includes singing by a choir.