About 500 people, including U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, Deputy Consul General of Israel Anna Shteingart, a handful of state and local politicians, and dozens of Jewish community leaders gathered at Greenwood Cemetery in Southwest Atlanta today to mark Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The joyous Jewish holiday celebrates Jews' escape from annihilation as told in the Book of Esther. A lesser-known end to the story takes on new meaning during this time of war in the Middle East.