Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust
Honoring on January 27th the courage and dedication shown by the soldiers who liberated the concentration camps, Reaffirming that the Jewish Holaucaust, which resulted in the murder of one third of the Jewish people along with countless members of other minorities, will forever be a warning to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism.
Statement by the UN Secretary-General on the 2021 International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust.
Today we honour the memory of the six million Jews and millions of others who were systematically murdered in the Holocaust by the Nazis and their collaborators.
This year’s anniversary takes place under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has revealed longstanding fractures and injustices in our societies and contributed to a resurgence in antisemitism and xenophobia.
The Holocaust was the culmination of two millennia of discrimination, attacks, expulsions and periodic mass killings of Jews. It should have ended antisemitism for good. But it did not.
Antisemitism unfortunately remains alive and well.
Today, white supremacists and neo-Nazis are resurgent, organizing and recruiting across borders, intensifying their efforts to deny, distort and rewrite history including the Holocaust.
The COVID-19 pandemic has given them new opportunities to target minorities, based on religion, race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, disability and immigration status.
We must make urgent joint efforts to stop them.
As we consider the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, we must address the fragilities and gaps exposed by the pandemic and strengthen our mutual bonds, based on our common humanity.
This year must be a year of healing. Healing from the pandemic, and healing our broken societies in which hatred has all too easily taken root.
As we remember those who died in the Holocaust and honour the survivors, our best tribute is the creation of a world of equality, justice and dignity for all.
António Guterres. United Nations Secreatry-General
Statement by Volkan Bozkir, President of the 75th session of the General Assembly, on the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust 2021.
On this day, we honour the millions of Jews and the other groups who lost their lives during a time of unparalleled inhumanity in the middle of Europe.
On this day, we remember those who survived the Holocaust and their pain.
They were individuals just like the rest of us. Mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, friends and neighbours.
But they were treated as “others.” They became targets of hatred and violence because of who they are.
This did not happen overnight. It was in the making for centuries.
It began as intolerance and bigotry, evolved into a systematic campaign and ended as genocide.
Today, we must never forget these facts.
We must never lose sight of what went wrong and we must ensure that it never happens again.
Unfortunately, the recent developments are not promising.
We are once again faced with a rising tide of racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism.
We are witnessing hatred towards other minorities and religious groups.
Today, the onus is upon us to uphold truth, equality and protect the rights of the most vulnerable groups. All around the world.
We have to be vigilant, to call out any injustice we witness and defend pluralism.
We have to condemn intolerance, incitement, harassment based on ethnic origin or religious belief.
We must instill within our children an understanding, that every individual is entitled to equal dignity and inalienable human rights.
Inertia is not an option.
In memory of the victims of the Holocaust, I ask that ‘We the Peoples’ recommit to the Charter of the United Nations, which was written in the wake of the atrocities 75 years ago.
And “…reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women…”
I thank you.
Volkan Bozkir, President of the 75th session of the General Assembly,
FORUM: International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust 2021; 27 January “Facing the Aftermath: Recovery and Reconstitution after the Holocaust”
The United Nations in Geneva will mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust with a programme of activities built around the theme of this year's commemoration, Facing the Aftermath: Recovery and Reconstitution after the Holocaust.
From 25-31 January 2021
Online and at Beth Yaacov Great Synagogue, Place de la Synagogue 11, Geneva
"Keeping the Memory Alive - Dimensions in Testimony" - This innovative video project keeps the memory of Holocaust survivors alive by featuring their interactive biographies on the exterior walls of the Beth Yaacov Great Synagogue of Geneva. Online users can interact live with Holocaust survivors, both in English and German, asking them personal questions and get real-time responses from pre-recorded video interviews, using the USC Shoah Foundation’s ‘Dimensions in Testimony’ technology; Organized jointly by the European Union Delegation and the Permanent Mission of Israel in Geneva, together with the United Nations in Geneva, the Communauté Israélite de Genève, and the World Jewish Congress, in cooperation with the USC Shoah Foundation. View the interactive biographies daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. or engage online until 8 February.
Tuesday, 26 January 2021, at 1 p.m. - Online event
Ciné-ONU virtual screening of The Albanian Code, a documentary feature with unique archival footage, unveiling the unknown story of the rescue of thousands of Jews in the Second World War, followed by a panel discussion …. Organized jointly by the United Nations Information Service Geneva, the United Nations Information Service Vienna, and the United Nations Regional Information Center Brussels. Registration:
Wednesday, 27 January 2021, at 12 noon
Room XX at the Palais des Nations, Geneva
Streamed live at http://webtv.un.org/
The official ceremony of the United Nations in Geneva will pay tribute to those who perished in Nazi death camps. Holocaust survivor Fanny Ben-Amy will tell of her family experience of loss and survival. The ceremony will feature remarks by Ms. Tatiana Valovaya, UN Geneva Director-General, Ambassador Meirav Eilon Shahar, Permanent Representative of Israel, and Ambassador Michael Freiherr von Ungern-Sternberg, Permanent Representative of Germany. It will also include several musical interludes by the renowned Israeli pianist Amit Weiner. English and French interpretation will be provided.
*No registration needed. Because of health measures related to the current pandemic, we invite you to follow the ceremony online.
For more information visit the on the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme;
MESSAGES ON THE OCCASION OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF COMMEMORATION IN MEMORY OF THE VICTIMS OF THE HOLOCAUST
H.E. Mr. Pierre-Louis Lorenz, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to the United Nations in Geneva
H.E. Mr. Bogdan Aurescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania
H.E. Mrs. Aurora Diaz-Rato Revuelta, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations in Geneva
PAST OBSERVANCES
Holocaust Memorial Ceremony 2020 - “75 years after Auschwitz - Holocaust Education and Remembrance for Global Justice”.
2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the ending of the Second World War, and the ending of the Holocaust. 2020 also marks the establishment of the United Nations, formed in response to atrocity crimes of the Holocaust and the Second World War, with the aim of building a world that is just and peaceful. Acknowledging the milestone year, the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme has chosen as the theme for Holocaust education and remembrance in 2020, "75 years after Auschwitz - Holocaust Education and Remembrance for Global Justice". The theme reflects the continued importance, 75 years after the Holocaust, of collective action against antisemitism and other forms of bias to ensure respect for the dignity and human rights of all people everywhere.
Holocaust Memorial Ceremony 2019 - The theme of the Holocaust remembrance and education activities this year is “Holocaust Remembrance: Demand and Defend Your Human Rights”. This theme encourages youth to learn from the lessons of the Holocaust, act against discrimination and defend democratic values in their communities, at a time when the spread of Neo-Nazism and hate groups fuels the rising antisemitism and other forms of hatred around the world. The theme highlights the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide..
2019 International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust.
The annual ceremony has been hosted by Ms. Alison Smale, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres; H.E. Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the seventy-third session of the General Assembly; H.E. Mr. Danny Danon, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations; H.E. Mr. Jonathan R. Cohen, Chargé d’Affaires, United States Mission to the United Nations; Ambassador Sandro De Bernardin, the Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, delivered remarks.
Ms. Sara J. Bloomfield, Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum served as the keynote speaker. Ms. Bloomfield has led the Museum for 18 years, working to build a global institution that raises Holocaust awareness, deepens understanding of the lessons of the Holocaust, confronts denial, and advances genocide prevention.
Mr. Marian Turski, Chair of the Council of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, Deputy Chair of the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland, journalist and recipient of the French National Order of the Legion of Honour, shared his testimony as a survivor of the Holocaust. Ms. Inge Auerbacher shared her account as a child survivor of Terezín. Cantor Benny Rogosnitzky of the Park East Synagogue recited the memorial prayers. The ceremony included musical elements performed by the PS22 Chorus
2018 International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust.
Today we remember the six million Jewish men, women and children who perished in the Holocaust. Countless others also lost their lives as cruelty convulsed the world. Yet decades since the Second World War, we see the persistence of anti-Semitism and an increase in other forms of prejudice. Neo-Nazis and white supremacy groups are among the main purveyors of extreme hatred. And too often, vile views are moving from the margins to the mainstream of societies and politics. We must stand together against the normalization of hate. Whenever and wherever humanity’s values are abandoned, we are all at risk. All of us have a responsibility to quickly, clearly and decisively resist racism and violence. Through education and understanding, we can build a future of dignity, human rights and peaceful coexistence for all.
António Guterres (UN Secretary-General) (Video message.