What is Yom Ha Shoah and Why is it Important?

It is Yom Ha Shoah (Yom Hazikaron laShoah ve-laG’vurah), or the Jewish Holocaust Day of Remembrance as it is commonly known. It is distinct from the more public day of remembrance for the Holocaust (which occurs in January) in that it is intended for the Jewish people to reflect on the loss and persecution that occurred at the hands of the Nazi regime in Europe in the 1930s and 40s.

I was born into a family that experienced that period in a multitude of ways. The stories of survival are miraculous and heart-wrenching, but they are long and mostly for another day.

In short, my mother is from a Jewish German line, whilst my father is of Cornish and Welsh stock. His family was transported in 1804 for smuggling and then soon after freed in the early days of the Sydney colony in which they ultimately thrived. In fact, a relative of ours was the Fisher in the Fisher Library at the University of Sydney. He didn’t have any kids and the library is a testament to how much he disliked his niece's marital choices.

In this way, I have two quite different genetic legacies. Both engender stories of forced displacements and separation from homelands and families, but they are essentially different.

In the case of my mother’s line, there are two stories at play. My grandfather’s father, Otto, was a travelling salesman who got wind of the terror looming on the political horizon in time to spirit his family to safety in Australia quite early on. I have no idea what happened…