International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Trending-Viral : 27 January was chosen to commemorate (memorize to preserve the memories of people or events) the date when the World War-II deadliest camp – Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by the Germany’s Nazi and Russian Soviet’s Red Army. The Holocaust Victims were mainly Jewish – whose traditional religion is Judaism i.e. belief in one God, targeted by Nazis, Government of Germany during World War-II between 1941-1945. Hundreds of thousands of people were tortured and murdered at the orders of Adolf Hitler.
Commemoration focus is to reassert commitment to Human Rights
Ceremonies are organized across the world to remark the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. The Remembrance Day re-emphasize on the importance of infusing today’s youth with the lessons of the Holocaust so that future generations may work to prevent hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice.
It is pertinent to read through a past message that was delivered by 8th UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon (2007-2016) for Holocaust Remembrance Day at UN Headquarters. He had reminded all that “We must reassert our commitment to human rights. We must also go beyond remembrance, and make sure that new generations know this history. We must apply the lessons of the Holocaust to today’s world. And we must do our utmost so that all peoples may enjoy the protection and rights for which the United Nations stands”.
Commemoration throughout the week, around the world
To commemorate, functions and gatherings will be organized throughout this week out not only in UN Headquarters at New York City but also worldwide including Vienna, Austria and in Israel at larger level by visiting the official memorials in this regard. Notably, Israel also has ceremonies on its National Holocaust Memorial Day separately.
Trending-Viral – UN Chief António Guterres and others reacted or remembered this day
Review of the important part parts from the speech by UN Chief António Guterres:
“The world must resolve to “stand up against the forces of hate and division”
“Let us never be silent in the face of discrimination, and never tolerant of intolerance,” he said. “Let us speak out for human rights and the dignity of all. Let us never lose sight of each other’s humanity, and never let down our guard.”
“All of us – leaders and citizens – have a responsibility to listen and to learn from survivors and victims by condemning these terrible crimes against humanity, striving to eradicate antisemitism and all forms of bigotry, hatred and intolerance and by finding a way forward to a shared, safe and inclusive future for all,” UN chief António Guterres said.
Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said the world is duty-bound to examine why the Holocaust happened to ensure it is never repeated. Indeed, the scale of the crimes committed engaged many perpetrators, he stressed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has slammed the International Court of Justice’s decision favoring South Africa’s genocide claim against Israel. He called Hamas terrorists the ‘New Nazis’. “New Nazis now get help from South Africa”.
He also brandished an Arabic-language copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf.
Israel’s Ambassador Gilad Erdan said the attack on Israel on 7 October by Hamas was “an attempted genocide”. He said, “We, the Jewish people, understand the meaning of genocide more than any other people. “We have been persecuted for millennia. Hitler seared the meaning of genocide into our DNA.”
Bosnian Jews and Muslims from Bosnia and abroad gathered in Srebrenica on Saturday to jointly observe International Holocaust Remembrance Day and to promote compassion and dialogue amid the Israel-Hamas war.
“Today, we remember. Today, we mourn. We join together in sorrow, and our tears become prayers — prayers of remembrance, but also prayers of hope,” Rosensaft, a child of Holocaust survivors. told the gathering. He had repeatedly led delegations of Jewish scholars and young diplomats at ceremonies to commemorate the Srebrenica massacre that are held every July in the eastern Bosnian town.
‘Holocaust’ in short
For Holocaust Remembrance Day, ‘Holocaust’ is generally associated with the genocide of Jews (mainly European but not only, also German, Polish, Soviet civilians etc.). Auschwitz was a Nazi concentration and extermination camp where 1.1 million about 85 percent of people including women and children, sent to Auschwitz, were brutally murdered at the orders from Hitler in the name of Final Solution for annihilation of the Jewish people.
Traditionally, Jews (practicing orthodox Judaism) were seen as people responsible for Jesus killing, however, this has always been the controversial and opinion based theory among Jews and Christians.
Notably, as per Jesus, “no one” had the power to take His life. He said that no one — not the Jews, not the Romans, not the Christians, not the world, not even the devil — had the power to extinguish His life.
The Holocaust was a brutal campaign of persecution and mass murder carried out by the Nazis and their collaborators in an effort to systematically annihilate the Entire European Jewish population. The scale of death and destruction is unfathomable, but Jewish communities have since worked tirelessly to care for survivors, build and strengthen Jewish life around the world and educate younger generations about the horrors of the Holocaust so that it never happens again.
Holocaust has inspired countless films and books. These works have helped audience members and readers grapple with what happened to individuals during this period.
Courtesy: Wikipedia, UN Media Website, X and History channel
