International Holocaust Remembrance Day

On November 1, 2005, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 60/7 to designate January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It was a day to recognize the 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, along with countless members of other minorities, and encouraged the development of educational programs to prevent future acts of genocide. It rejects denial of the Holocaust as an event and condemns all manifestations of religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against person and communities based on ethnic origin or religious beliefs.

Since that time, the UN has an annual commemoration ceremony in the UN headquarters in New York and around the world. Over the past decade, I have attended the event, which has included exhibits, movies, webinars, concerts and other gathering.

Speakers have included the Un Secretary General of the UN, the President of Israel, Holocaust survivors, Ambassadors, Roma Holocaust Survivors, prayers and accompanying music written and performed in the Holocaust.

One of the themes addressed was ‘Never Again’. It reflected on the dangers of extremism, such as antisemitism and extreme etiologies, and a warning to be vigilant and act when hate arouses around the world. If antisemitism remains unchecked, it inspires others to join normalize prejudice, escalate discrimination, into harassment and violence.

On this day we honor survivors and liberators, as we learn about how and when the holocaust happened and reflect on our common humanity. In Israel, this day plays a role in Jewish identity as a justification for Israel’s existence and a general lesson against racism and ethnic persecution.

A Rabbi will say El Malei Rachamin, the central prayer of the dead, honoring G-d’s greatness, and asking for the souls of the departed remembered with deep reverence. It emphasizes remembrance, healing, bearing witness, and honoring the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. It further affirms our affirmation of resilience in our faith in the presence of trauma.

For many of us, the event will recognize our multigenerational trauma (intergenerational trauma, that can extend to many generations. The trauma effects can be emotional, psychological, or biological, which is passed from one generation to the next, impacting decedents who did not directly experience the original event. The person may experience symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), with anxiety, hypervigilance, emotional dysregulation, relationship issues, self-esteem, substance abuse, depression and a heightened stress response. There can be altered family dynamics and epigenetic changes that can accompany feelings of systemic oppression. There can be a conspiracy of silence, forcing children to absorb the unspoken emotional burden, and use their imagination to a relationship past. The person can also experience pride and resilience and a deep connection to their Jewish identity. It can give them a sense of strength and purpose for future generations.

Each year, music from the Holocaust is in the program reflecting expressions of humanity in inhuman conditions. It helped people escape reality and gave voice for the yearning and symbol of freedom, in a search to find comfort and hope. It gave prisoners consolation, support and confidence, and it reminded them of their earlier lives. It served as a form of protest in a way to maintain dignity under the most difficult of circumstances.

The Czeck opera was performed 55 times by the children of Terzein concentration camp. Songs were composed in concentration camps, prisoners were formed to play when the trains arrived.

There was also humor in the camps. Victor Frankel said “ humor was the sole weapon in the fight for self preservation”. At Yad Vashem, it was written “without humor, we would have committed suicide “.

Many speakers addressed holocaust denial and the increase in antisemitism, with a growing ignorance of the Holocaust. They asked what will happen when all the witnesses are dead. On January 22, 2022, the UN Approved in Israeli Resolution to Condemn Holocaust Denial.

The core principle of the UN Commemoration is to confront the hatred and turn memory into an ongoing moral responsibility. This included the testimony of survivors who speak about more than their own suffering and people who have no graves. They connect each family with the danger of racism, xenophobia, and group targeted violence.

President of Israel Isaac Herzog described two truths:

1. Jewish people were victims of the Shoah.
2. The Jewish people are a sovereign nation that survives and rebuilt. He further indicated that the Jewish people have responsibility and obligation to defend the legitimacy of the Jewish state.

We need to acknowledge that there are two different “UN’s” under one roof. The General Assembly and Human Rights Council have long standing coalitions that often align against Israel. There are normative and educational arms such as UNESCO and the Holocaust outreach programs, the 2025 Action Plan, and the genocide prevention office that have had programs to combat denial and promote curricula about antisemitism.

What does the Holocaust Commemoration mean to me in view of my larger family who were murdered at Auschwitz? It is deeply personable As my very existence is bound with unexplainable loss and survival. It is part of my identity, my family story and my ethical commitment to have people not forget the Holocaust. The profound trauma of mourning people I never met has shaped my feelings and choices. It expresses my strong commitment to Jewish continuity to Israel’s security and the fight against antisemitism.