Memorial Ceremony Program – Two Years Since October 7th

• To Remember and Mourn: The ceremony is designed for high school students to gather, remember, and mourn those lost on October 7th and in the two years since.
•  To Process Trauma Over Time: The central theme is “Trauma, Memory, and Hope Through the Passage of Time,” aiming to help students reflect on the event two years later.
• To Draw Strength and Foster Hope: A key objective is for participants to “draw strength and hope from this memory”. The ceremony includes a dedicated section on “Hope and Future” and concludes with words of hope and unity.
• To Inspire Commitment and Action: The program aims to move from memory to action. This is encouraged by watching a video with a “call to action” , displaying the names of hostages as a moment of “commitment” , and concluding with a commitment to the future.

The program is structured into four main parts:

• Opening Remarks and Preparation: Establishes a solemn atmosphere for the event.
• Memory and Commemoration: This section offers various options for remembrance, including a speech by a school official, communal singing, lighting a memorial candle, student reflections, and the recitation of traditional Jewish memorial prayers like the mourner’s Kaddish, “Yizkor,” and “El Malei Rachamim”.
• Hope and Future: This part aims to guide participants toward the future with readings like “We got used to it” by Barak Feuer, a video featuring Rachel Goldberg-Polin that calls students to action, and a moment of silent recognition for the hostages.
• Concluding the Ceremony: The event ends with the singing of the “Acheinu” prayer, concluding remarks of hope and unity, and the singing of “Hatikvah” and the local national anthem if customary.

• A memorial candle and a means to light it for the “Memory and Commemoration” section of the ceremony.
• A projector and screen to display a music video in the background during communal singing , to watch a video segment featuring Rachel Goldberg-Polin , and to project the photos and names of the hostages.
• A sound system to play the audio for the music video and the video of Rachel Goldberg-Polin.