A detail from the haunting Oregon Holocaust Memorial, which was dedicated in 2004 in Portland Oregon. This photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 27—Each year, international remembrances of the Holocaust occur on two major occasions: This International Holocaust Remembrance Day was established by the United Nations, marking the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp on January 27, 1945. The other globally observed memorial is Yom Hashoah, which was established in Israel and begins in 2024 on the evening of May 5.
Want to take part in marking this day? Check in your area for local observances, which may range from a memorial service to a concert to an art exhibit to even the screening of a special film. Local communities across North America are planning to mark this day in some way, especially at a time when antisemitism is reaching new heights in the US, according to FBI reporting.
Resources from the United Nations: Member states of the UN have developed educational programs, conducted memorial ceremonies and instituted remembrances over the years. If you follow this UN link, you will find a gateway to UN-recommended resources. There are lots of materials to explore from that homepage, including The World Memory Project and a guide to Remembering Survivors and Victims.
It’s a global problem. A rising tide of antisemitism is sweeping the globe. For example, news media around the world reported on the late-November demonstrations of more than 100,000 people in Paris and other French cities in solidarity with that nation’s Jewish population. Here’s New York Times report on those demonstrations.
This month, reports like this one in The Washington Post have highlighted Chinese propaganda efforts to fuel antisemitism in the West as a method to destabilize Western nations.
Fresh action. The alarming reports led the Biden administration to take new steps to identify and combat antisemitism as well as Islamophobia and hate crimes against Jews and Muslims, as detailed in this White House report.
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