AUGUSTA — The Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine will host its annual Yom HaShoah: Holocaust Day of Remembrance program at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 1, at the Michael Klahr Center.

The program will begin with a brief interfaith ceremony of remembrance followed by a program featuring the story of Brundibár, the children’s opera that was performed at Terezín concentration camp, and music of the Holocaust performed by the Messalonskee High School Mastersingers, according to a news release from the center.

The Mastersingers have performed around the state and at such venues as Carnegie Hall in New York City and the Epcot Center at Walt Disney World in Florida.

Included in the program will be selections such as “Inscription of Hope” and “Ani Ma’amin.” During the Holocaust, the basement of the Cologne Cathedral in Germany became a hiding place for Jewish families. Following the war, a poem of hope was found scrawled on one of the walls in the basement of the cathedral. It is believed to have been written by a young Jewish child in hiding. The words were set to music and the piece was given the title “Inscription of Hope.”

“Ani Ma’amim” is based on a statement included by the great medieval Rabbi Maimonides in his Thirteen Principles of Faith:

“I believe in the coming of the Messiah,

And though the Messiah may tarry, still I believe.”

It was set to music by an unknown Jew in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. “Ani Ma’amim” spread to partisan units and concentration camps. Amidst unspeakable tragedy, this song provided hope and encouragement. It was sung by many Jewish victims on their way to the gas chambers.

The program is free to attend, though donations will be accepted. Light refreshments will be provided.

For more information, visit hhrcmaine.org, call 621-3530 or email infohhrc@maine.edu.