Fifty years later, Elie Wiesel, whose Holocaust experiences testify that Hitler did indeed make 1939 a year to remember, asked his questions at the White House: "What will the legacy of this vanishing century be? How will it be remembered in the new millennium?" Wiesel may be saddened but not surprised if Time names Hitler its Person of the Century.

Yom ha-Sho'ah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, was established by the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) in 1951. The date chosen for the annual commemorative event is the 27th day of the Hebrew month of Nissan, a day that falls between the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising (January to May 1943) and Israel's Independence Day (May 14, 1948).

In Israel, Yom ha-Sho'ah is marked by closing all places of entertainment and sounding a siren at 8:00 a.m. When the siren sounds, all activities throughout the country cease for a moment of silence. People stop what they are doing, even if they are driving a car, and stand in remembrance of the Jews who died during the Holocaust.

Yom ha-Sho'ah is also observed throughout the United States (shown, 1994) and in many European locations. Commemorative ceremonies are coordinated by Jewish religious and community centers, gentile religious institutions, interfaith centers, and sectarian associations. Although there are no set rules for the observance of Yom ha-Sho'ah, the ceremonies typically include speakers, prayers, and candle lighting. It is common to light six candles to represent the six million Jews killed, although some ceremonies light a seventh candle to commemorate the non-Jewish victims of Nazi persecution.
Photo: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Photo Archive