International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2023

Second World War – the deadliest military conflict in the history of the world – has claimed millions of victims: soldiers, Jews, other citizens. Many of them died during the Holocaust – the German Nazi genocide. It is estimated that around 6 million Jews and 11 million others lost their life in the death camps located in occupied Poland. It is extremely important to remember about those historical events and to honor all of those injured in that time. This is why International Holocaust Remembrance Day is being observed every year.

This international day of commemoration has been established by the United Nations General Assembly resolution. The date of the observance, January 27, is not accidental. The day is also an anniversary of the 1945 liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. It aims at honoring the memory of all Holocaust victims and their families. It is also concentrated on preserving all places of Holocaust, such as Nazi death camps, concentration camps or labor camps. A visit in a place like this is shocking, but it can open the eyes of humanity to what the victims have gone through.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day (International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust ) is also an educational worldwide event. It is crucial to teach new generations that history, even though it is not easy and pleasant. Everyone needs to know how much suffering and death the Holocaust has caused. It has also become increasingly important to highlight the fact that the death camps were not Polish, even though located in occupied Poland. Many journalists of big newspapers or even famous politicians (e.g. Barack Obama) have used misnomers such as “Polish death camps” or “Polish concentration camp.” Great part of these statements was an effect of ignorance, but some of them aimed at minimizing German responsibility for what was happening in the camps. Even though some may argue that the adjective “Polish” can be used in a geographical sense, in use with reference to Nazi death camps it is often very misleading and improper.

Seven decades after the Holocaust we are all responsible for honoring the memory of the victims. This should also be our common struggle against antisemitism and racism. As the Director-General of UNESCO said: “People are not born anti-Semitic, people are not born racist, they become so.” We need to teach next generations respect for all people. Historic sites serving as symbols of Holocaust remembrance should still be visited by pupils in order to make them aware of what people have done to people.

Did you know?

The United Nations every year organize events aiming at honoring the victims of Holocaust, but also telling their personal stories, showing everyday life of children and adults prisoned in death camps. These stories of survival are always very touching. Many similar materials, such as testimony or biography videos can be found on the Yad Vashem: The World Holocaust Remembrance Center’s official website.