St. Petersburg Honors Yom HaShoah at Florida Holocaust Museum

Hundreds of people gathered on April 14, 2026, at The Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, to observe Yom HaShoah, the Holocaust Remembrance Day. The event featured a series of solemn activities designed to honor the millions of individuals killed during World War II.

Yom HaShoah, a Hebrew term meaning catastrophe, is observed globally to commemorate the approximately six million Jews murdered by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. The date of observance coincides with the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

Commemoration Activities

A central part of the day’s events involved community members reading the names and ages of Holocaust victims aloud within the museum’s galleries. This tradition is intended to preserve the memory of those who perished, including many children.

We honor their dignity and their memory by saying their name and their age

Eric Stillman, CEO of The Florida Holocaust Museum

In addition to the name readings, visitors participated in a candle lighting ceremony on the afternoon of April 14, 2026, to mark the day of commemoration in a profound manner.

Museum Access and Exhibits

The Florida Holocaust Museum provided free admission to the public for the duration of the day. This allowed a steady stream of visitors to enter the facility, including individuals visiting for the first time since the museum reopened in September following a significant renovation.

The renovation introduced several new exhibits aimed at deepening the public’s understanding of the Holocaust. One notable addition is the Thor, a Danish fishing boat that was utilized to rescue more than 7,000 Jews during the war.

The museum’s mission is to honor the millions of innocent men, women and children who suffered or died during the Holocaust.