Facebook teams up with Yad Vashem to commemorate Shoah victims online

Yad Vashem is teaming up with Facebook’s Israeli branch to help social media users mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day.  

The new project lets online users be randomly matched to one of the 4,800,000 names recorded in Yad Vashem’s central database of Shoah victims until January 29.

Their own name, together with the name of the Holocaust victim they are matched with, are then added to Yad Vashem’s virtual “IRemember Wall“, which can be shared on their Facebook page.

Facebook Israel Country Director Adi Soffer Teeni said: “As we commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we dedicate ourselves to turning personal memory into a collective one.

“Through the use of technology, we can each connect with the name and the story of one victim of the Shoah.

“As ambassadors of memory, we have the responsibility to keep their memory alive and relevant for future generations to reflect upon and learn from. Our new cooperation with Yad Vashem will ensure just that.”

Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev said: “Yad Vashem works tirelessly to ensure that the memory of the Holocaust is relevant and constant, while facing the challenge of its global dissemination.

“Therefore, we maintain an active presence on social media, today’s platforms for contemporary discourse.

“The new joint project with Facebook Israel will allow the broader public to connect with the names and stories of the Jews murdered during the Holocaust and enable those who wish to express their commitment to Holocaust Remembrance to do so in a simple and timely way.”