Branching Out by Reaching Out

by Joel Shrater

"Genocide is not private property. It is and it belongs to the public domain,” says Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, California. “I believe that the Yom HaShoah Yellow Candle program can serve as a tool to reach out to all peoples and broadcast a message of hope and meaning.” Within that context, the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs is developing new program models to enable our Conservative/Masorti congregations to reach out to other communities that have experienced national tragedy and to build a bridge between us. The opportunities to fulfill the mitzvah of tikkun olam, of repairing the world, through the Yellow Candle program are without limit.

Since its inception in 1981, the Yellow Candle program has provided a vehicle to preserve the memory of the six million victims of the Shoah, giving birth to activities and programs, from local to international, to memorialize those who perished. It has expanded to embrace the United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism and Men of Reform Judaism. The program continues to raise funds for synagogues, Holocaust memorials, and scholarships to United Synagogue Youth Pilgrimages.

During 2007-2008, the Yellow Candle program will expand into two important areas. These new directions will broaden our message and will resonate more fully with young adults while at the same time remaining true to its purpose to foster a commitment to “never forget.”

First, we will reach out to unaffiliated Jews who by definition are connected to the Shoah, either directly, because some of their ancestors perished, or by their broader association as a member of the Jewish people. The Nazis made no distinction between affiliated and non-affiliated Jews, so why should we? Yet many unaffiliated Jews lack any way of expressing that connection. All Jews have a stake in the Holocaust, and thus it is a mitzvah to provide all Jews with a vehicle to express that connections.

Second, Men’s Clubs will reach out to others in their communities who have suffered similar tragedies. Further, we will provide candles to Jews and non-Jews who want to use them in community programs or for their own private commemorations.

These two new directions expand our ability to whisper quietly and to shout from the rooftops: Never forget.