More than 50 years after the Holocaust, millions of people all over the world set a day aside for its remembrance.

Yom HaShoa, or Day of the Holocaust, will be honored by members of the NIU Hillel Jewish Students Organization. A nearly 22-hour vigil planned by Hillel will begin at 2 p.m today in the King Memorial Commons and concludes with guest speakers at noon Friday.

“It’s one full day of remembering and celebrating the memory of all those who perished in the Holocaust, not just the Jews,” said Vita Gold, a sophomore education major and NIU Hillel president.

Gold has a personal connection to the Holocaust — many people from her mother’s side of the family were killed.

Members of Hillel will continuously read names, pass out information and allow anyone to chalk names or messages on the sidewalk. People also will be invited to tell personal stories of the Holocaust.

Amplified sound will be used as long as possible, said Aaron Moskowitz, a freshman mathematics education major and Hillel member.

“At night we can’t, because the noise might wake up the people in the dorms,” he said. “People are welcome to come throughout the day and read names.”

Also included in the memorial will be a few guest speakers, including Rabbi Seiger, the executive director of Hillel’s of Illinois, and NIU President John Peters.

“Observances such as Holocaust Remembrance Day are important touchstones for us all,” Peters said. “They compel us to remember those who were lost as well as those who risked their lives for others. We simply must not ever forget.”

Moskowitz said that similar events are planned by Hillel organizations at universities all over the nation. He added that memorials also will take place all over the world. In Israel, a siren goes off and everybody stops what he or she is doing and takes time to remember.

“It’s very, very important to simply remember what’s happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he said.

It’s not just Jewish people, either, Moskowitz added. Six million Jews were killed, but so were 6 million others, he said, including gypsies, homosexuals, people with disabilities and people of different faiths.

Gold encourages everyone in the community to participate in the remembrance.

“This is something that affects the whole community,” Gold said. “Generations later it still affects us.”