In the weeks prior to the communal Yom Hashoah commemorations, the Board of Deputies distributes 3000 Zachor (Remembrance) candles to Jewish families via the day schools, the NSW Board of Jewish Education, communal organisations and synagogues.
The candle package includes a yarzheit candle, the text of memorial blessings in Hebrew and English, and a card containing a photograph and biography of one of the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust.
Families are encouraged to light the candles with their children and to recite the Kaddish (Memorial Prayer) for the person named on the card.
The Zachor candle project is a way for families to sustain the memory of the Holocaust within the home, which is particularly helpful for those who are unable to attend the communal commemoration.
