Light from the Darkness

A special, innovative ritual to memorialize the Holocaust

This poignant and beautiful ceremony, modeled after the Passover Seder, commemorates both the terrible atrocities that occurred and the inner strength of the victims and those who helped them.

Dates

Kristallnacht: November 9

International Holocaust Memorial Day: January 27

Yom HaShoah: April 28, 2022

Kristallnacht:
November 9

International Holocaust Memorial Day:
January 27

Yom HaShoah:
April 28, 2022

How to Get the Book

About the Ritual

Read more about the ritual:

  • The thought process behind it
  • The order of the ritual
  • The symbols we use
  • What’s included in  the book

As the fragile window of witness closes, here is a new way to commemorate the Holocaust.

Light from the Darkness does the things the survivors have always asked of us: to tell the story, remember, and learn the lessons. This short and empowering guided experience is filled with song, story, ritual, and remembrance, drawing strength from darkness and turning it into action.

In Light from the Darkness, the lessons of the Holocaust reinforce the core values of Judaism: remember the evil that we have experienced and make sure that no one ever has to experience such evil again, but always celebrate life and your Jewish faith.

Leader's Guide

Everything you need to know to do the ritual in your community:

  • Planning and preparation
  • Adjusting it to fit your needs
  • Ideas for adding richness

As the fragile window of witness closes, here is a new way to commemorate the Holocaust.

Light from the Darkness does the things the survivors have always asked of us: to tell the story, remember, and learn the lessons. This short and empowering guided experience is filled with song, story, ritual, and remembrance, drawing strength from darkness and turning it into action.

In Light from the Darkness, the lessons of the Holocaust reinforce the core values of Judaism: remember the evil that we have experienced and make sure that no one ever has to experience such evil again, but always celebrate life and your Jewish faith.

About the Ritual

Read more about the ritual:

  • The thought process behind it
  • The order of the ritual
  • The symbols we use
  • What’s included in  the book

Leader's Guide

Everything you need to know to do the ritual in your community:

  • Planning and preparation
  • Adjusting it to fit your needs
  • Ideas for adding richness

My compliments! The memorialization was engaging, instructive, and inspiring. The selections were quite good, the readers first-rate, and the components admirable. I will treasure my memory of this moving event for long to come.

Arthur B. Shostak

Author, Stealth Altruism: Forbidden Care as Jewish Resistance in the Holocaust

A poignant and ultimately hopeful ritual. Using the words and visual artwork of the victims and survivors creates a deep and humanizing connection, reminding us to preserve and share the echoes of this tragedy to inspire future generations to ensure this history never repeats.

Lindsay Friedman

Director, Echoes and Reflections

Additional Resources

Ideas for Added Richness

Click here for some ideas to add to the ritual

  • Recipes from In Memory’s Kitchen, a cookbook from the Terezin Ghetto
  • Making the symbols even more meaningful
  • Extras to download
  • Adding movement
  • Adding stories and music

Alternatives & Modifications

Click here for suggestions on modifying the ritual for your purposes:

  • Online programs
  • For a large group, in a sanctuary
  • Adding to another Yom HaShoah ceremony
  • For a younger audience
  • At home
  • With an interfaith group

The Ritual in Action

On April 20, 2020, Light from the Darkness was performed online, in global community, for the first time. You can see the ritual in action on our YouTube channel, here.

Ideas for Added Richness

Click here for some ideas to add to the ritual

  • Recipes from In Memory’s Kitchen, a cookbook from the Terezin Ghetto
  • Making the symbols even more meaningful
  • Extras to download
  • Adding movement
  • Adding stories and music

Alternatives & Modifications

Click here for suggestions on modifying the ritual for your purposes:

  • Online programs
  • For a large group, in a sanctuary
  • Adding to another Yom HaShoah ceremony
  • For a younger audience
  • At home
  • With an interfaith group

The Ritual in Action

On April 20, 2020, Light from the Darkness was performed online, in global community, for the first time. You can see the ritual in action on our YouTube channel, here.

Follow Us on Facebook & YouTube

Buy the Book

Light from the Darkness: 
A Ritual for Holocaust Remembrance

© 2020 All rights reserved

Subscribe

Sign up to get our newsletter

You have Successfully Subscribed!