Holocaust Remembrance Day

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

The International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust serves as a global memorial for the six million Jewish victims and countless other minority groups who perished during the Holocaust. It aims to honour these victims and educate current and future generations about the inherent dangers of hatred, bigotry, and violence. This Observance is perpetuated by the United Nations, aligning with their fundamental principles of acceptance, equality, and human rights which aim to prevent such atrocities from reoccurring.

The General Assembly of the United Nations first implemented this day in 2005, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp. The Holocaust, while a global event, carries particular resonance in the European Union, where many of its horrifying acts took place. The EU encourages every Member State to commemorate Holocaust victims and works diligently to promote Holocaust education throughout schools and community programs. The objective is to keep the memory alive and facilitate and inform discourse about it, reasserting the need for collective remembrance, education and research.

In the European Union, the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust is observed on January 27. On this date, various events, including memorial ceremonies, educational programs, and moments of silence, take place. These events serve as vital reminders of the past and they stress the pivotal need for unity, respect and acceptance within our diverse societies. The EU's involvement and support of this International observance aim to ensure that such horrific history is never forgotten nor repeated.

Facts about Victims of the Holocaust

• The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day in 2024 was Fragility of Freedom. The theme in 2023 was Ordinary People
• If we bear all this suffering and if there are still Jews left, when it is over, then Jews, instead of being doomed, will be held up as an example. ― Anne Frank, well-known Holocaust victim
• The Holocaust has significantly influenced the development of international human rights law and the establishment of international criminal tribunals, such as the Nuremberg Trials, which prosecuted leading Nazi officials for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and the International Criminal Court.
• There were various resistance movements and individuals who attempted to defy the Nazi regime and rescue Jews and other targeted individuals during the Holocaust. Acts of resistance ranged from armed uprisings in ghettos and concentration camps to the rescue and sheltering of Jewish people by non-Jewish citizens.

In the News and Trending in the EU for Holocaust Remembrance Day

Top things to do in the EU for this observance

• Join social media campaigns that promote awareness of the Holocaust, try tweeting using the hashtag #holocaustmemorial or #remembranceday.
• Read one of the thought provoking, gripping and saddening accounts of the Holocaust. Some choice picks include:
  1) The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
  2) Maus by Art Spiegelman
  3) Eichmann in Jerusalem by Hannah Arendt
• Watch a film:
  Schindler's List - (1993): This Steven Spielberg-directed drama recounts the story of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved more than a thousand Polish Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories.
  The Pianist - (2002): Based on the autobiography of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish pianist who survived the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II.
• read a book:
  The Diary of a Young Girl - by Anne Frank: This revealing account of the Holocaust from a child's perspective was written by Anne Frank while she was in hiding during World War II.
  Night - by Elie Wiesel: A deeply haunting account of Wiesel’s time in Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz and Buchenwald.