At the end of January, members of the ASH community attended the Levenslicht Ceremony in Wassenaar held for Holocaust Memorial Day. This ceremony honored the memory of the six million Jews and the millions of other victims of the Holocaust; in the Netherlands there were 104,000 Jewish victims including more than 15,000 Jews from The Hague and 98 from Wassenaar.  

Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde was asked to create a special national work of art to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and the 104,000 Dutch Jewish victims. The Levenslicht memorial is a temporary light installation consisting of 104,000 luminescent stones (to represent the number of victims) that was first displayed together in January in Rotterdam. The stones were then distributed to 170 municipalities, including Wassenaar, who held their own ceremonies and dedications. Our middle school librarian Ms. Christopher attended the ceremony in Wassenaar on behalf of ASH and she reflects below on how powerful it was attending and supporting our wider community in this important time of remembrance.

“I can say that it was an honor for ASH to be asked by Nationaal Comité 4 en 5 mei to join other local schools, Rijnlands and Adelbert, and to support the Wassenaar mayor in the local Levenslicht ceremony held on Holocaust Memorial Day.

First, the mayor spoke, then Mr. Bert Dreese, a descendant of the Bromet family (Jewish) from Wassenaar, told their story of survival but mostly of the victims. This was followed by the reading of the names of 98 local Jewish victims. The names were read by students from the schools in the Wassenaar community, including two from ASH. This was an emotional experience that was felt deeply by those in attendance.

The setting was powerful, too. I don't know if you've ever been to the auditorium at the Jewish cemetery, but it is lovely. After the reading of the names, as we went outside we were each given a single stone. We stood among the trees on either side of the Jewish monument. Students from the schools, including two students from ASH, laid flowers at the base of the monument and we placed our stones near the front of the auditorium. Once done, they were "lit" and many of us were overcome by the symbolism.”