January: Holocaust Remembrance Day

Contributor: The I.D.E.A Commitee 

In 2005, the United Nations General Assembly designated January 27 as “International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust,” or as it is more commonly referred; Holocaust Remembrance Day. The date was selected because it is the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. 

The day serves as a time to reflect on the 6 million Jewish victims and the millions of other lives lost and affected by the atrocities of the Holocaust. It is a show of unity and strength around four main areas:

1. Education. Take time to educate yourself and others about the horrors of the Holocaust, the lives lost and the generational trauma that has followed survivors and members of targeted groups.

2. Preservation. United Nations members have committed to preserving areas referred to as “Final Solution Sites,” which can include concentration camps, mass grave sites, and labor camps. These locations are historical and educational but most importantly, they are final resting places for lives lost and should be regarded as hallowed ground.

3. Prevention. Through keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive it is hoped that causes, consequences and dynamics of genocide can be easily identified and ideologies of hatred can be rejected in future generations.

4. Protection. Through an initiative called “Protect the Facts” the international community rejects any efforts or outlets that delegitimize established facts about the Holocaust and its victims, promotes antisemitism, threatens human rights and supports hate or violent extremism. 

The People We Remember

More than 11 million victims of the Holocaust died at the hands of the Nazis. The number 11 million seems immeasurable, impossible to fathom. Each and every one of the 11 million lives lost was a person, a human with a family, friends, history, and life ahead of them. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum catalogs many of the stories of lives lost. Take some time to read a few of them. It humanizes the tragedy in a profound way. Beyond the lives lost decades ago, there are survivors, families, and communities that still endure loss, hate and generational trauma stemming from the atrocities of the Holocaust to this day. 

A few resources 

• There is an annual ceremony at the United Nations General Assembly meeting to commemorate the day. You can watch this year’s service here.
• A middle school in Tennessee wanted to honor the 11 million victims of the Holocaust and wrap their minds around just how many lives were lost. They began the Paper Clips Project. View a short video about their work. 

Sources:

Holocaust Remembrance Day | National Archives

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (ushmm.org)

International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust | UNESCO