A day to remember victims of the Holocaust takes place on the Hebrew calendar of 27 Nisan. The official  day was established in 1959. Commonly known as Yom Hashoah - Holocaust Memorial Day, is held eight days before Yom Ha’Atzmaut - Israel Independence Day.

On Yom Hashoah in Israel, flags are flown at half mast and there is a state ceremony held at Yad Vashem the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes Rememberance Authority. At 10am air raid sirens are sounded for two minutes and all activity comes to a halt.

In the Diaspora, the day is marked with ceremonies and rituals that include the lighting of memorial candles and the recitation of Kaddish - Mourners Prayer.

In Hong Kong, the ceremony was held on 19 April in the evening at the Jewish Community Centre. It was organised by the Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Centre (HKHTC), Jewish Tzofim of Hong Kong and contributions from Sabine and Sylvain Gilbert. This years programme included prayers, testimonial readings and music.

On display to the entrance of the event was the book Passage Des Temoins - passage of witness organised by the Gilbert family. There were photos of the 40 contributors to the book, these were the 40 survivors of the Auchwitz Birkenau camp. Both young men and women taken between the ages 15-16 in Belgium, mostly of Polish descent.