United Nations Educational, Scientifc and Cultural Organization January 22, 2022 

Every year around 27 January, UNESCO pays tribute to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and reaffirms its unwavering commitment to counter antisemitism, racism, and other forms of intolerance that may lead to group-targeted violence. The date marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau by Soviet troops on 27 January 1945. It was officially proclaimed, in November 2005(link is external), International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust by the United Nations General Assembly.

The Holocaust profoundly affected countries in which Nazi crimes were perpetrated, with universal implications and consequences in many other parts of the world. Member States share a collective responsibility for addressing the residual trauma, maintaining effective remembrance policies, caring for historic sites, and promoting education, documentation and research, more than seven decades after the genocide. This responsibility entails educating about the causes, consequences and dynamics of such crimes so as to strengthen the resilience of young people against ideologies of hatred. As genocide and atrocity crimes keep occurring across several regions, and as we are witnessing a global rise of antisemitism and hate speech, this has never been so relevant.

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL

"Whenever this history is questioned, whenever violence is done to the memory of the victims, the rise of anti-Semitism and hate speech is encouraged, an everyday scourge of Jewish communities around the world. More than ever, we must therefore be vigilant. It is our shared responsibility to protect the truth, and to keep alive the memory of all those who suffered under the Nazi regime; to support research and documentation that can confront the fantasies of fanatics with the reality of history; and to study and teach the Holocaust, so that education may prevent anti-Semitism and all forms of racism." —  Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust

Link to site


Museum of Jewish Heritage A Living Memorial to the Holocaust

Echoes In Ink: A Liberation Day Reading Of Short Stories From The Holocaust

Join us for this Thursday's virtual event in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Echoes in Ink. We will be joined by Eleanor Reissa, who will read Isaac Bashevis Singer's "Wedding in Brownsville," and Mili Avital reading Rachel Häring Korn's “The Road of No Return.”

In these stories, the writers turned to pen and paper to reckon with the enormity of their loss and the lives they lived and witnessed in the years following the Holocaust. Register now and join us 1/27 at 10 AM: https://mjhnyc.info/echoes

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