International Holocaust Day is a Time for Commemoration and Action

From the Desk of Lori Shepherd - Executive Director

Today, January 27th, 2025, the world will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, perhaps the most notorious of Nazi concentration and extermination camps.

For many, Auschwitz is a symbol of the absolute horror of the Holocaust and attendant atrocities of World War II. By the time Soviet troops marched in to liberate 7,000 sick, injured, and malnourished prisoners, the Nazis had already murdered more than 1.1 million people in this camp alone. The victims – mostly Jews from across Europe, but also political opponents, prisoners of war, homosexuals, and Roma – were killed in gas chambers or by systematic starvation, forced labor, disease, and medical experiments.

In 2005, the United Nations General Assembly designated January 27th, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a time to remember all victims of Nazi persecution. This commemoration acknowledges what we have long known: that by preserving the memory of the Holocaust, we ensure that future generations are educated about the dangers and consequences of unchecked hatred. 

This work has never been more important. 

Since 2016, the United States has seen a steady rise in reported incidents of antisemitism and identity-based hate. In the months following the Oct 7, 2023 terror attacks on Israel, the ADL reported a 360% increase in antisemitism and antisemitic acts. In Arizona, this hatred has played out on our college campuses, online, and in our communities. 

And so the fight against hate continues. The battle is not yet won. Our post-WWII promise of never again has not yet been fulfilled. 

Today, dignitaries, heads of state and aging survivors will gather around the world to mark this anniversary that fewer and fewer living people remember. As younger generations try to understand the unfathomable weight of this day, I believe that Holocaust Education is not merely a history lesson. It’s a morality lesson. Most importantly, it’s a contemporary call to action. 

As we come together to commemorate this auspicious anniversary and honor the millions of people who perished - Jews and non-Jews - we must double down on our commitment to building a world where tolerance, diversity, and respect will triumph over exclusion, bigotry, and hatred. And while this annual commemoration is important, it’s insufficient. The fight against hate, the fight to change a hate-filled world, must happen every day, in every place. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. 

We must work in our classrooms, our workplaces, our homes, and our places of worship to educate and enlighten on the dangers of unchecked hate. We must demand systemic social change with our voices, our votes, and even with our pocketbooks. 

We must work together to deliver thoughtful, engaging, and historically accurate lessons that tackle antisemitism and other identity-based biases that persist in our schools and communities. 

We can only build stronger, safer, and more resilient communities by working in collaboration with local allies and partners, calling out hatred and discrimination in all forms, wherever we see it.

One day is not enough. Today, we must heed the call to action. What will we do the other 364 days of the year, and what will we ask of our leaders, our neighbors, and our communities, to keep the sacred promise of never again?