There is a whole world in a name, from the identification of a self, to the mark of a family, to the imprint of a soul. Jewish custom is to name children after an ancestor, making the given name a central part in a larger narrative.
Elie Wiesel once said, “a name has its own history and its own memory. It connects beings with their origins. To retrace its path is then to embark on an adventure in which the destiny of a single word becomes one with that of a community; it is to undertake a passionate and enriching quest for all those who may live in your name.”
Each victim remembered on Illuminate comes from the Central Database of Victims Name at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center.
Of the six million Jewish Victims of the Holocaust, there are only four and a half million names in the database. One and a half million victims have not been identified by name.
This is a sad reminder of both what is held in a name and what is lost when that name disappears into the ashes. Each Illuminate user is given the name of one victim and with it a soul to remember and honor.
The life breathe of a man is the lamp of the lord – Proverbs.
Lighting candles in the Jewish tradition is both ritual and metaphor. It is a symbol of life, a means to mark the transition in time from the profane to the sacred and it can be a central animating idea, as in the case of Chanukah.
Candlelight is also a powerful marker of remembrance and memory. Yahrzeit candles burn for 24 hours to mark the anniversary of a person's death.
Illuminate is based on this memorial ritual. A virtual candle is used to create a simple moment of remembering and an opportunity to honor the life of one victim. We are prompted in the moment to imagine that life in all its beauty and complexity and loss.
The candle is also a means to illuminate that which hides in the dark, a tool to lessen ones fears, and a way to stimulate hope for a brighter future.
Understanding, remembering, and honoring the past is an essential part of Jewish tradition. Memory is individual, familial and communal.
Four times a year, a special prayer service (Yizkor) is recited in memory of the dead. Deceased relatives are also remembered on the Hebrew anniversary of their deaths through the lighting of a Yahrzeit memorial candle.
The Illuminate ritual of lighting a digital candle and having it burn for 24 hours is built around the idea of a Yahrzeit candle. When speaking of the deceased, we say “may their memory be for a blessing,” as a way to invoke their lives and deeds and let them open us to a better future.