International Holocaust Remembrance Day

The United Nations remembers

This year’s theme for International Holocaust Remembrance Day is “Holocaust Remembrance for Dignity and Human Rights,” and the program consists of the primary observance, plus three free exhibitions in the visitors’ lobby of the U.N. Headquarters and a panel discussion, all open to the public or available online.

The memorial observance will occur on Jan. 27 at 11 a.m. in the General Assembly Hall at U.N. Headquarters in New York City. Hosted by Melissa Fleming, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, the program will feature Holocaust survivors sharing testimonies, as well as official remarks from the secretary-general, the president of the 80^th session of the U.N. General Assembly and representatives from the permanent missions of Israel and the United States to the U.N.

Registration is required by Jan. 18, but the event can be viewed online on U.N. WebTV, on YouTube or on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Other events include:

• Between Life and Death: Stories of Rescue during the Holocaust. This exhibition from Jan. 15-Feb. 20 combines stories of survivors and rescuers and examines the complexity of relationships during the Holocaust and particularly the war years. Curated by the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity, along with the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw and the Silent Heroes Memorial Center in Berlin, the exhibition features testimony from 13 countries and highlights actions of diplomats in 11 countries.
• Holocaust Remembrance – A Commitment to Truth is a separate exhibit from Jan. 15-Feb. 8 that uses testimony and photos to document “the systematic persecution and destruction of Jewish families, communities, and traditions by the Nazis and their collaborators,” according to the U.N. program. Curated by the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Program and the United Nations Department of Global Communications, this display notes the suffering of other groups like Roma and Sinti, and shows the courage displayed by victims and those who tried to help.
• Lest We Forget, a photo exhibition that also runs from Jan. 15-Feb. 8, shows “glimpses of moments of kindness and compassion, of life enjoyed, and of the intimate connections that existed in Jewish families and communities before the Holocaust,” according to the U.N. program. The photos “reflect the humanity of the victims of the Holocaust, and underline the scale of the destruction of the Nazis and their racist collaborators,” and also “remind us of our common humanity, and our responsibility to defend the right of all to live with dignity and in peace.”

The exhibits are free and open to the public, with no registration required. A separate panel discussion on Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research at 15 West 16^th St. in New York will feature Holocaust survivor Elżbieta Ficowska and historians Jay Winter, Daniel Blatman and Mordecai Paldiel, discussing the evolution of Holocaust remembrance, how stories can be shared with younger generations, and how to confront challenges of fading memory and disinformation. The program, which requires registration, is jointly organized by the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity (ENRS), YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, the Center for Jewish History, and the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Program, and supported by the Sousa Mendes Foundation.