International Holocaust Memorial Day is observed annually on January 27th. The theme for 2024 is “Recognizing the Extraordinary Courage of Victims and Survivors of the Holocaust.” Established in 2005 by the United Nations General Assembly, this solemn day is dedicated to the memory of the 6 million Jews who perished during the Holocaust and to the millions of other victims of Nazism. According to the Holocaust Encyclopedia, by the end of the war in 1945, most European Jews—two out of every three—had been killed by the Nazis and their collaborators. Why January 27? This date is the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp by Soviet forces in 1945. Click here to learn more about the commemoration from the Jewish Federations of America. Click here for a link to the to United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to learn more about the history of the Holocaust and the experiences of Holocaust survivors. And, honor this meaningful day by taking time to read, reflect and resolve that the horrors of the Holocaust are never repeated.
"For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing." Simon Wiesenthal
"We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim." Elie Wiesel
"The things I saw beggar description." President Dwight D. Eisenhower
"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me." Martin Niemoller
Last Modified December 26, 2024