In order to commemorate Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), the Colgate Jewish Union held a 24-hour vigil to read the names of the victims of the Holocaust. From 5pm on Sunday April 11 to 5pm on Monday April 12, 32 volunteers participated in upholding the memories of those lost. The vigil culminated in a memorial prayer service lead by University Chaplain Rabbi David Levy.

Students from all over the campus community participated by reading names in one-hour shifts at a table set up on the Chapel steps. The vigil, coordinated by active Colgate Jewish Union member senior Becky Blake, was held both to remember the individuals and educate Colgate students about the Holocaust in a visible way. Students walking to class could not miss the table aglow with traditional Yartzheit candles and many felt compelled to ask about the vigil and learn about this traditional commemoration.

While the names read did not come close to representing the millions of victims, the experience helped attach names, ages and hometowns to previously faceless numbers.