“Sure. I’ll do it,” I answered in what I felt had to be a solemn tone due to the subject at hand. In reality, I was quite eager to begin preparing for something as meaningful and beautiful as the Holocaust Remembrance Day Vigil. As the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, I feel an unspoken obligation to connect personally to the act of annually commemorating and studying the tragic events of the Holocaust. Being asked to coordinate this year’s vigil was an honor.

Oddly enough, when the day finally came, what I expected to be an extremely solemn day provided me with an unexpected uplifting feeling. Many of my classmates participated in the reading of names of people who perished in the Holocaust. Sitting in the exhibition hall for almost 12 full hours as people cycled in for their turns to read, I felt a new type of closeness to my grade. We were all partaking in preserving the memories of these people while simultaneously demonstrating the strength that now defines our Jewish community, our school, and every student at JDS. As tears swelled up in my eyes, it was difficult to flip through a binder filled with names that are not regularly thought of, but it truly was the sadness and the difficulty that brought us together.

As Jewish day school students, we are told we must appreciate the ability and privilege we have to learn and practice Judaism freely. We often fail to mention things on more basic levels. We must also feel a certain appreciation for the ability to emote and experience not only the learning itself that comes from preparing for the day, but also the emotions we share in together that surface as a result.

This past week, I moved into my new home: the alcove I am going to share with my fellow classmates until the end of our JDS careers. Through collaborating to create a meaningful Yom HaShoah commemoration, our grade has come together in an unimaginably special way. As a byproduct of this commemoration and moving into our alcove, we are more united than ever.

As it is nearly impossible to be at a locker and not strike up a conversation with someone across the alcove, I similarly found that it was nearly impossible not to feel connected to more people through the sadness involved in reading names at the vigil.

This month is filled with grade wide events and student-led programs including the Yom Hashoah Commemoration, receiving our alcove, going on our Shabbaton, and finally, Zimriya. While on such different ends of the “emotional” spectrum, all of these events reap the same benefits; grade collaboration and closeness.