YOUNGSTOWN — The Jewish Community Relations Council of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation will hold its annual Holocaust commemoration programs for Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance) during events Sunday and Tuesday.

The annual Shoah Memorial Ceremony will be 4 p.m. Sunday at the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown, 505 Gypsy Lane. The annual Community Holocaust Commemoration event will be noon Tuesday at the Mahoning County Courthouse, 120 Market St.

Both programs are free to the public.

Yom Hashoah is an internationally recognized day set aside for remembering all victims of the Holocaust and for reminding society of what can happen to civilized people when bigotry, hatred, and indifference reign.

This year’s local theme is “Righteous Among the Nations.” Winners of the council’s student Holocaust writing and multimedia contest will be recognized at the event at the courthouse. A memorial candle lighting ceremony to honor the 6 million who perished will be part of the event.

The memorial ceremony at the community center will include a keynote presentation, “Friends Among the Nations: Quakers and Jews in Dark Times,” by Elliot Ratzman. The “Society of Friends,” known as the Quakers, have had a long history of humanitarian relief and rescue, with the plight of Europe’s Jews as no exception.