Hitkansut: A New Ritual of Memory for the Shoah

Weaving survivor testimonies, literary texts, music, poetry, and prayer together poignantly commemorates the Holocaust in an engaging communal way

“On April 27, 2022 the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America hosted its second annual Global Hitkansut gathering, a participatory commemoration of the Holocaust which poignantly weaves survivor testimonies, literary texts, music, poetry, and prayer into a ritual of remembrance.

“Hitkansut” translates as “convergence,” yet this English word does not easily capture the layered elegance of the original Hebrew. A verb in the reflexive form, Hitkansut beckons us to gather not only with one another but also into ourselves, our memories, family histories, and epigenetic inheritances.”

Read the complete essay on Times of Israel

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