More than 200 people gathered in the Lincoln Auditorium in the state Capitol today for Idaho’s 32^nd consecutive annual observance of and memorial for the Holocaust. Gov. Butch Otter, shown standing at right here at the ceremony’s closing while Rabbi Dan Fink, left, leads the audience in prayer, read a proclamation declaring this week to be “Days of Remembrance Week” and inviting “all citizens to remember the victims, the survivors and their liberators.”

“The Holocaust is one of the most terrible episodes in the history of the world,” the governor said. “We the people of the state of Idaho should always remember the terrible events of the Holocaust, and should remain vigilant against bigotry and tyranny.”

Also participating in the ceremony were Lt. Gov. Brad Little, Holocaust survivors and their families, World War II veterans, religious leaders from various faiths, Boise Mayor Dave Bieter, the Boise Philharmonic Master Chorale and more. Eleven electric candles – actual flames are prohibited in the Capitol – were lit in memory of the victims and events. Michael Shaw, center, provided sign language interpretation of the ceremony for the hearing impaired. Little shared the history of the annual official state commemoration, which started under then-Gov. John Evans.