Holocaust Remembrance Day 2022 Schedule, Events To Commemorate the Day
January 27 is International Holocaust Remebrance Day, marking the anniversary of the Allied liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp, 77 years ago.
The day of remembrance is held each year to honor the millions of lives lost during the Holocaust at the hands of the Nazis, as well as remembering those who died in genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur.
Each year, the United Nations urges member states honor the lives lost and implement educational programs to help prevent future genocides.
This year, the UN's theme for International Holocaust Remembrance Day is "Memory, Dignity and Justice."
In a statement, the UN said: "The writing of history and the act of remembering brings dignity and justice to those whom the perpetrators of the Holocaust intended to obliterate.
"Safeguarding the historical record, remembering the victims, challenging the distortion of history often expressed in contemporary antisemitism, are critical aspects of claiming justice after atrocity crimes. The theme encompasses these concerns [...] and encourages action to challenge hatred, strengthen solidarity and champion compassion"
In honor of the day, several events of remembrance have been scheduled across the globe.
UN Chamber Music Society Virtual Concert
The UN's Chamber Music Society is performing a virtual concert to honor the lives lost during the Holocaust.
The classical music program features Jewish composers "to instill the memory of the tragedy in future generations to prevent genocide from occurring again." The concert will be livestreamed at 9 a.m. ET on UN Web TV and YouTube.
UN Holocaust Memorial Ceremony
Melissa Fleming, the UN's under-secretary-general for global communications, will host a ceremony that will include speakers from the UN and representatives of Israel and the United States; professor John K. Roth will deliver the keynote address.
The Memorial Ceremony will also feature speeches from Petra Gelbart, granddaughter of Romani Holocaust survivors Helena "Margita" Nová and Antonín "Ruda" Hránek, and Elisha Wiesel, son of Holocaust survivors Marion and Elie Wiesel.
The ceremony will also include testimonies from Holocaust survivors from Canada, Israel, South Africa and the U.S.
The ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. ET and will be livestreamed worldwide via UN Web TV.
Seminar on Legacy of Medicine During the Holocaust
Doctors Hedy S. Wald, from the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and Sabine Hildebrandt, from Harvard Medical School, will be holding a digital seminar today.
The online event "will catalyze critical thinking on the relevance of the Holocaust for contemporary medicine and help health care trainees and professionals reflect on their core values in the service of humanistic and ethically responsible patient care."
The seminar runs from 12 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. ET and you can register for it by clicking here.
Lest We Forget: Combating Holocaust Denial and Distortion
The UN's General Assembly is soon set to pass a historic resolution demanding stronger action to combat Holocaust denialism and distortion, following the recent surge of anti-Semitic abuse and online hate across the globe.
Therefore, the American Jewish Committee has organized a special event hosted by Irwin Cotler, a scholar and human rights advocate and Canada's Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism.
Cotler will interview with Felice Gaer, Director of AJC's Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights to discuss the topic.
The event takes place at 2 p.m. ET and you can register for it here.
The Difference Between Life and Death
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is hosting an online event titled "The Difference between Life and Death: Choices That Saved a Young Boy."
The digital event will feature a conversation between Dr. Arye Ephrath, a Holocaust survivor and Edna Friedberg, a historian at the museum.
The event will be free to view and can be watched live on Facebook from 9:30 a.m. - 10 a.m. ET.
German Parliament Commemorative Speeches
The German Parliament has also honored the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, as a number of events were held across the country.
The Bundestag President, Bärbel Bas, urged on Thursday for global unity in the fight against religious intolerance.
"Our country bears a special responsibility, the genocide of the European Jews is a German crime, yet it is also a past which is relevant to all," Bas said in a speech.
"Not only Germans, and not only Jews. Together with many others worldwide, we are taking a stance on remembrance of the Holocaust. A stance against xenophobia and against antisemitism."
Israeli Knesset President Mickey Levy also spoke at the Parliament, and broke into tears during his speech.
The 87-year-old Holocaust survivor Inge Auerbacher was a also guest of honor at the Parliament and gave a speech recounting her experience.
Global Events
In the United Kingdom, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust is hosting a number of nation-wide events, while Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, issued a statement which read:
"It is a day when we light our candles, not only to remember but to continue to drive out darkness and brighten the futures we build for our families, our neighbors, our communities, and our world."
A database of the remembrance events held across the world today to honor the millions killed in the Holocaust can be found here.
