On 1 November 2005, the United Nations General
Assembly adopted resolution 60/7 designating 27 January as an annual
International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the
Holocaust.
Secretary-General Stresses Need to Be Ever Vigilant against Bigotry, Extremism,
in Message for World Commemoration of Holocaust Victims
In 2014, the International Day of Commemoration will be marked by a
number of national and international events. The following overview of
commemoration events is based on information and links provided by IHRA member countries, observer countries, and permanent observer
organizations, as well as information compiled by the Permanent Office.
Member Countries: Argentina - Austria - Belgium - Canada - Croatia - Czech Republic - Denmark - Estonia - Finland - France - Germany - Greece - Hungary - Ireland - Israel - Italy - Latvia - Lithuania - Luxembourg - Netherlands - Norway - Poland - Romania - Serbia - Slovakia - Slovenia - Spain - Sweden - Switzerland - United Kingdom - United States; Observer Countries: Bulgaria - the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia - Portugal - Turkey - Uruguay; Permanent International Partners: Claims Conference – CoE – FRA – OSCE/ODIHR – UNESCO - United Nations
This year on 27th of January 2014, there will be a big commemoration event on Heldenplatz in Vienna, organized among others by the Jewish Community of Vienna as a member of the platform “Jetzt Zeichen setzen!” A lot of different organizations will take part in this big event (http://www.jetztzeichensetzen.at/?page_id=743).
Some other, smaller events on the occasion of the International Day of Commemoration to honor the victims of the Holocaust are for example:
27 January 2014 will mark 69 years to the very day that the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp was liberated. As a symbol of the Holocaust, this camp and so many others was the scene of several million appalling deaths. No less than six million Jews along with Roma, Sinti, political prisoners and homosexuals were systematically persecuted, brutalised and murdered. This Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust is also intended to pay tribute to the memory transmitted by the survivors. These people play a key role in educating new generations in order to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive. Their stories must live on during the commemorations in order to encourage people to remember and to prevent the suffering of millions of men, women and children from becoming trivialised.
Pursuant to resolution 60/7 on Holocaust remembrance, adopted on 1 November 2005, the United Nations General Assembly decided to designate 27 January of each year as the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The Belgian Federal Authorities are fully engaged in this day of remembrance, which is acknowledged as being an important reminder of the universal lessons of the Holocaust and respect for the human rights of all people, irrespective of race, sex, language or religion. From March 2012 - March 2013, Belgium held its 12-month term presiding over the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, an intergovernmental organisation whose members are committed to the principles set out in the Stockholm Declaration. The Belgian Presidency turned the international spotlight on the policies being undertaken by the federal authorities and the federated entities to facilitate remembrance, education and research focused on the Holocaust, the promotion of human rights and combating any form of racism and antisemitism.
The awful experience of the Holocaust has also taught us that even during the darkest periods of our history, men and women in Belgium and many other countries found the courage not to remain indifferent to the injustice inflicted upon their fellow citizens. They bravely risked their own lives to save many children, women and men. These righteous people and these saviours had no intention of acting like heroes. They were simply doing what they thought was perfectly normal: helping and saving their fellow citizens.
National Initiatives
This day will be marked with official statements by Canadian Minister for Multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, and by several provincial/territorial premiers.
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB), in partnership with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), is organizing an English language International Holocaust Remembrance Day Virtual Classroom on January 27. A French language virtual classroom will follow on February 4. These professional development events will help educators discover new approaches to teaching about the Holocaust and its lessons on human rights, racism, democratic values, citizenship and genocide. During the virtual classrooms, which will run as live webcasts, educators will interact with Holocaust experts. Information on additional resources is available through the CIC website.
Events Across Canada
In Toronto, the Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre, in partnership with the Esther Bem Memorial Fund the University of Toronto’s Centre for Jewish Studies, will host an annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day lecture on Sunday, January 26, 2014 at 11:00 am at the Munk School for Global Affairs. The program will focus on the moral, legal and historical dimensions of identifying the provenance of art seized or stolen during the National Socialist period and resolving the injustices caused by Nazi cultural policies. Walter Stechel, Consul General of Germany in Toronto will deliver the keynote address titled, “Degenerate and Looted: The Unfolding Case of the Munich Art Trove”.
In addition, Citizenship and Immigration Canada is partnering with the Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre to offer workshops on the Holocaust for newcomers in the Greater Toronto Area, Kitchener-Waterloo and Peterborough, Ontario, which will take place in January and February 2014.
In Ottawa, the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Tour for Humanity mobile Tolerance Education Center on Parliament Hill at noon. In the evening, they will host the Ottawa Premier of the Moriah Films documentary, “The Prime Ministers” at the Canadian War Museum.
In Winnipeg, an Interfaith Concert – including a synagogue choir and three church choirs – will be held at Westminster United Church on January 26, 2014. The event is sponsored by the Ridd Institute for Religion and Global Policy of the Global College, University of Winnipeg, The Azrieli Foundation, The Jewish Post and News, The Freeman Family Foundation Holocaust Education Centre and Westminster United Church.
The Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre, in partnership with The Azrieli Foundation, will host the film premiere of The Lady in Number 6 (subtitled in French). The screening will be followed by a discussion with the Director and Holocaust survivors.
The Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre will host a commemorative evening on January 27, 2014 at the Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre. Louise Stein Sorensen, a Holocaust survivor educator and outreach speaker will share her experiences as a child survivor of the Holocaust, followed by a memorial candle lighting by Holocaust Survivors in memory of those who perished, and a reception and Exhibit Opening of Anne Frank A History for Today at the VHEC.
An evening gala concert is held at the Spanish Synagogue in Prague organized by the Jewish Museum in Prague and the Jewish Community of Prague.
The Jewish Community of Olomouc, under the auspices of the President of the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic Mr. Petr Papoušek, prepared an exhibition of posters from the international competition “Keeping the Memory Alive, a joint project of the Yad Vashem Museum (Israel), the European Shoa Legacy Institution (Czech Republic), the London Jewish Cultural Center (GB), the Canadian Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and The Holocaust and United Nations Outreach Programme. Czech authors of the posters will be present at this exhibition.
On this day remembrance events are also organized by Jewish communities of Liberec, Jewish communities in Teplice, Jewish communities in Ústí nad Labem and Jewish communities in Karlovy Vary, mostly in cooperation with City Hall..
A commemorative meeting is also held in Prague at Clementinum organized by the Czech Union of Czech Freedom Fighters.
27 January International Holocaust Remembrance Day Events in Museum of Romani Culture, Brno, Czech Republic
On the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day will be in the Museum of Romani Culture in Brno presented the exhibition called „Zapomenutá sousedství“ (Forgotten neighborhoods), created by local non-governmental organisation Okrašlovací spolek pro Lomnici a okolí from the town Lomnice. The exhibition provides access to information about the persecution and genocide of the local Jews and Roma in the former political district Tišnov during the WWII. The exhibition consists of materials from the archives, historical photos and other documents. The exhibition is in Czech and English language version and will be presented in the Museum of Romani Culture until 7 March 2014.
Like every year the Museum of Romani Culture in Brno on the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day will prepare on the 27th of January the interactive educational program for the Czech youth called „Šoa – porajmos – holocaust“ (Shoah - Porrajimos – Holocaust). The program was developed in collaboration of the Museum of Roma Culture and the Jewish Museum in Prague. The aim of the program for pupils and students of primary and secondary schools is to obtain an overall insight into the issue of the Holocaust. The unique combination of the two institutions offers a view of World War II through the eyes of Jewish and Roma victims. The pupils will receive an overview of the important events of World War II, take on specific memories of the victims and survivors and have the opportunity to meet with Jewish and Roma survivors and listen to their life stories.
More information:
http://www.rommuz.cz/
https://www.facebook.com/muzeum.romske.kultury?fref=ts
Additional Information
Jewish Museum Commemoration Ceremony (in Czech)
Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic Ceremony Program
“Keeping the Memory Alive” Poster Competition (in Czech)
Remembrance Event for the Children of the Theresienstadt Ghetto
In Denmark January 27th is marked as Auschwitz Day, a Day of Holocaust and Genocide Remembrance. The day is dedicated to commemorate the victims and support the survivors, to promote education and public awareness about the Holocaust and other genocides.
This year Auschwitz Day is marked under the theme “Resistance” and event and activities throughout the country will put a special focus to resistance as a term, which actions that may fall under the category and what motivates resistance on different levels.
In Denmark the activities relating to Auschwitz Day fall into two categories: Educational activities and commemorative events.
Educational activities
Under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, students in lower and upper secondary education around the country are offered lectures from experts and visits from survivors. Schools may also make special visits to relevant museums and thus learn about the Holocaust and other genocides. In the weeks and months leading up to January 27th several thousands of students from across the country have made good use of these opportunities. Please visit www.auschwitz-dag.dk to learn more.
Commemorative events
On or around January 27th various remembrance activities aimed at the public are organized by local authorities, universities, libraries, museums, churches, private organizations, NGOs, etc.
Events in Copenhagen:
In Copenhagen the municipality invites attendees to the main commemorative event in the glass hall Theatre in Tivoli. (http://www.kk.dk/da/brugbyen/find-arrangement/auschwitzdag) The program includes speeches, lightning of candles and music performance.
The Danish Institute for International Studies invites you to a seminar marking the 65th anniversary of the genocide convention (http://www.diis.dk/hjem/seminarer/2014/65+år+med+fns+folkedrabskonvention+muligheder+og+begrænsninger)
The main public library in Copenhagen invites you to a seminar (https://bibliotek.kk.dk/biblioteker/hovedbiblioteket/event/landskaber-doedens-metropol
The Danish Jewish Museum invites you to a seminar looking at the relation between humor and Resistance (http://jewmus.dk/aktuelt/visning/auschwitz-dag-2014/)
In addition to the listed activities in Copenhagen events and initiatives related to Auschwitz Day will also take place in Elsinore, Roskilde, Odense and Aarhus. Please visit the Auschwitz Day calendar and learn more about different events across Denmark. http://www.auschwitz-dag.dk/sw87118.asp
The timetable is as follows:
9:45 Arrival at the memorial of Klooga
10:00–11:00 Placing wreaths, speeches by Prof Dr Jaak Aaviksoo, Minister of Education and Research, Ms Alla Jakobson, Head of the Jewish Community, and H.E.Mr Peter McIvor, Ambassador of Ireland to Estonia, prayer by the Shmuel Kot, Chief Rabbi, visit of the memorial
11:00 End of the ceremony, return to Tallinn
After the memorial ceremony, at noon till 18:00, there will be a seminar at the Jewish Community Centre for history and social education teachers entitled “From the Past to the Future – A Story of a Community”, which will be opened by the Minister of Culture, Ms Urve Tiidus. After opening the seminar, the Minister will have an introductory tour at the Jewish Community Centre and the Synagogue.
For more information, please view the invitation.
The Shoah Memorial is coordinating a number of educational and commemorative events across the country, with support from the Ministry of Defense and the National Office for Veterans and Victims of War, in partnership with the association Œuvre Nationale du Bleuet de France and several memorial sites linked to the persecution, internment, deportation and extermination of French Jews. The sites concerned are as follows:
• Maison d’Izieu Memorial, Ain;
• Camp de Gurs Memorial, Pyrénées-Atlantiques;
• Camp des Milles Memorial, Bouches-du-Rhône;
• Camp de Pithiviers Memorial, Loiret;
• Camp de Beaune-la-Rolande Memorial, Loiret;
• European Centre of Deported Resistance Members and Obernai Synagogue, Bas-Rhin;
• Camp de Rivesaltes Memorial, Pyrénées-Orientales;
• Shoah Memorial, Paris, Drancy (Seine-Saint-Denis) and Toulouse (Haute-Garonne);
• Town of Chambon-sur-Lignon, Haute-Loire;
• Montluc Prison Memorial, Rhône;
• Resistance and Deportation History Centre, Lyon;
• Internment and Deportation Memorial, Camp de Royallieu, Oise.
The full program of events is available on the Shoah Memorial website and on the website of the Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah.
Among these events, the Camp des Milles memorial museum, which was inaugurated in September 2012 by the Prime Minister, is holding a commemorative ceremony, under the high patronage of the President of the French Republic, François Hollande, at the Camp des Milles Wagon of Remembrance. The attendance of numerous students as well as the unique reflection area combining Memory and civic education, remind us how important is the transmission of memory and values to new generations
The Ambassador at-large for Human Rights, in charge of Holocaust issues, will be in Israel on 27 January, where she will attend a ceremony held by the Massuah Institute for Holocaust Studies. This visit falls within France’s commitment to preserve and pass on the memory of the Holocaust which constitutes, along with the struggle against antisemitism, a fundamental component of France’s diplomacy.
The Ceremony will be broadcast online at http://www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/index.html from 14.00 hrs and can also be watched on mobile devices.
Since June 2013 the sculpture of the International Auschwitz Committee "to B Remembered" has been open to the public at Wittenbergplatz in Berlin. The sculpture, developed by the French artist Michele Deodat and produced by young Volkswagen trainees, refers to the inscription above the main gate to Auschwitz I "ARBEIT MACHT FREI” and the hidden message of the prisoners who turned the "B" in the word "ARBEIT" secretly upside down.
Now the sculpture will leave Berlin for Brussels, where it will be presented in front of the European Parliament. On the 30th of January the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz, together with survivors and young people from different European countries, will welcome the sculpture and the message of the survivors engraved in the statue:
"RememBer: when injustices take place, when people are discriminated against and persecuted- never remain indifferent. Indifference kills."
The Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp was liberated on 27th January 1945 by troops of the First Ukrainian Front. The United Nations Organization declared this day International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Despite being several hundreds of kilometers from our country, Auschwitz forms part of Hungarian history. This death camp was the site of the inhuman suffering, humiliation and the death of close to half a million of our compatriots.
Seventy years ago, following the German occupation of our country in 1944, the will of Hitler’s Nazi Germany seemed to be fulfilled by the Nazi governors and the Hungarian state authorities collaborating with them. Within barely half a year they mercilessly executed their program of creating ghettos and deported the entire Hungarian Jewry living in the countryside.
We shall never forget that in that tragic year seventy years ago, an endless convoy of death trains left the Hungarian territories for Nazi concentration camps. We shall never forget either that several hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens herded into ghettos would have also suffered the same fate, had the war evolved according to the intents of Hitler’s Germany and its Arrow Cross puppets.
The tragedy of Hungarian Jews is the pain and the irreplaceable loss of our entire political nation.
Therefore I call on Hungarian radios and televisions, asking them to contribute within their means to help us observe 70 seconds of silent mourning at 7 PM on 27th January 2014 in memory of our innocently slain compatriots.
Let this silence be common mourning, the silence of the shared pain felt for our compatriots.
By honoring the hundreds of thousands of innocent children, elderly, women and men let us express the unity and the resolve of our nation that the citizens of the free and democratic Hungary will not identify with any inhuman concept or ideology, nor with those, who committed unredeemable sins against their fellow citizens in the name of the Hungarian state during the course of our 20th century history.
I believe that the power of the shared silence of our silent respect will help us recognize the good in each other and to condemn evil together.
Áder János
President of the Republic of Hungary
Commemorative event of the Holocaust Memorial Center and the Hungarian Academy of Science
2014. January 27. 15:00 - 19:00
In 2005 the General Assembly of the UN declared 27 January, the day when Auschwitz-Birkenau, the most notorious of the Nazi extermination camps had been liberated in 1945, as the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. At this occasion, the Holocaust Memorial Center in cooperation with the Hungarian Academy of Science will organize a scientific commemorative meeting titled Hungary in the Shadow of the Tragedy. Opening of two periodic exhibitions will also take place on the day. Exceptionally, on this Monday, the permanent exhibition will also be open to the visitors.
The national Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration attracts an audience of 700 people who come from all walks of Irish life. People from Government, the Arts, media, academia, religious leaders, ambassadors, First and Second Generation Holocaust survivors all attend.
The commemoration itself is a ceremony that is comprised of about 25 readings that include survivor recollections, extracts from the historical milestones in the Holocaust narrative (Evian, Kristallnacht, Ghettos, Wannsee, Murder, Liberation, Righteous etc). These readings are drawn from historical sources, biographies, diaries and from personal testimonies. Readers are come from all sectors of Irish society. A copy of the programme is attached.
A Scroll of Names is read by twelve teenage school students from four different schools from around Ireland. The names on the scroll include those who perished in the Holocaust who were cherished family members of people living in Ireland. There are 187 names currently on the list. One hundred school students attend the commemoration.
All of the victims of the Holocaust are recalled at the candle-lighting ceremony in which six candles are lit for the six million Jews who perished as well as candles for all of the other victim groups. The involvement of all of the victim groups is an inclusive element of this ceremony and contributes to raising awareness of the Holocaust. The national Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration in Ireland is a very dignified, moving occasion.
A special Holocaust Memorial Day booklet is produced by HETI for Holocaust Memorial Day each year, which is a highly educational resource used in schools and by the general public throughout the year. These publications are available on line: http://www.hetireland.org/
2014 is the 12th Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration to take place in Dublin. People travel from all over the country to attend it and it has maintained a full capacity audience of 700 persons every year. This event contributes to Ireland's commitment as a member of IHRA by raising awareness about the Holocaust on a national level.
The commemoration is generously supported by the Department of Justice and Equality, Dublin City Council, Dublin Maccabi Charitable Trust, Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, Sisters of Sion and the Council for Christians and Jews.
Press coverage of the event is available via this link and document.
Next Generations Conference marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day - "Dorot- Next Generations to Holocaust and Heroism" organization are holding a conference in conjunction with the Ministry of Senior Citizens and Yad Vashem at ZOA House, Tel Aviv. The conference will be attended by the Minister of Senior Citizens, Uri Orbach, Knesset Speaker Mr. Yuli Edelstein, Yad Vashem Chairman of the Board Rabbi Meir Lau, and Director of the Yad Vashem Archives Dr. Haim Gertner.
26.1
Official Government Meeting to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 10:00
On Sunday, January 26, 2014 at 10:00 in the Hall of Names Yad Vashem will be presented a Certificate of Recognition by UNESCO marking the inclusion of the Pages of Testimony Memorial Collection in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
Taking place in advance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the presentation will begin in the Hall of Names on the Mount of Remembrance during which Dr. Dalit Atrakchi, Secretary General of the Israeli Commission for UNESCO will present Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev and Dr. Alexander Avram, Director of the Hall of Names at Yad Vashem with the Certificate of Recognition. Addresses in the Yad Vashem Synagogue will be made following the presentation of the certificate.
“For many Holocaust survivors and their families, Pages of Testimony are the only tangible evidence that their murdered loved ones once lived,” said Avner Shalev, Chairman of Yad Vashem. “The Nazis and their collaborators strove to murder each and every Jewish man, woman and child and to erase any vestige of their existence. These pages, together with information gathered from around the world as part of our names recovery efforts, restore to them their names – their identities. We will continue our efforts to bring the names and identities of the victims back from oblivion as long as we are able to do so. I urge anyone who has not yet submitted Pages of Testimony to do so now.”
Pages of Testimony are specially designed forms filled out in memory of Jews murdered in the Holocaust. Yad Vashem, which literally means ‘a memorial and a name’, has for the past 6 decades been working to recover the names and identities of the 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. Since 1954, Yad Vashem has been collecting Pages of Testimony from Holocaust survivors and those who remember the victims, so far documenting 2.6 million names on Pages of Testimony. Together with other documentation Yad Vashem has thus far identified by name 4.3 million out of the 6 million victims. The Pages of Testimony Memorial Collection is housed in the Hall of Names at Yad Vashem and has no precedent in history in both its dimensions and its intent to preserve the names as symbols of the victims' humanity.
Pages of Testimony are available in some 12 languages, and continue to be filled out by friends and family of the victims, as Yad Vashem continues the historic effort to record the names of the victims. The entire collection has been uploaded to the Yad Vashem website as part of the Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names and is available in English, Hebrew, Russian, German and Spanish.
UNESCO's Memory of the World Program raises to a global level the awareness and the imperative of preservation of, and access to, unique and irreplaceable documentary heritage in various parts of the world. The Memory of the World Register, founded in 1995, includes so far only 299 items worldwide endorsed by the Director-General of UNESCO.
27.1
- Largest ever Israeli Government Delegation to hold unprecedented International Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony in Auschwitz, Poland. 55 MKs, 6 Ministers, 24 Holocaust survivors, State Comptroller Joseph Shapira, Supreme Court Justice Elyakim Rubinstein, Chief Rabbi David Lau, Yad Vashem Chairman and IHRA Co-HoD Avner Shalev and some 250 other public figures are scheduled to arrive in Poland on January 27, 2014 – Holocaust Remembrance Day – for a one-day visit.
The largest delegation of MKs to be sent since the Israeli parliament`s establishment will be headed by Speaker Yuli-Yoel Edelstein and visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp while also holding an inter-parliamentary meeting titled, ”Reflections on Auschwitz: Remembering the past, looking to the future.”
- Official International Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony to be held at "Massuah".
Featured speakers: Prof. Yitzchak Kashti, Chairman; Ambassador Gideon Meir, MFA; MK Moshe Yaalon, Minister of Defence; Prof. Shlomo Breznitz, Haifa University; H.E. Dave Sharma, Australian Ambassador to Israel. To be followed by opening of exhibit "Jan Karski- Humanity's Hero", 10:00
- International Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony for Italian Nationals, Hall of Remembrance, Yad Vashem, 12:00
- "Keeping The Memory Alive" Poster Exhibition opening and ceremony, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem
- Cultural Program "Westerbork Seranade" to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Ghetto Fighter's House, 17:00 Speakers: Ambassador Caspar Veldkamp of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Mr. Ophir Pines-Paz, Chairman, Dr. Anat Livne, CEO
- Yad Vashem will be running the virtual memorial "I Remember" Wall on Facebook, as in previous years.
- Multiple film Screenings and Lectures marking the day will be held across the country.
- Additionally, Yad Vashem staff members will participate in conferences, seminars, exhibitions, ceremonies, lectures, and government meetings around the world to mark January 27th- including South Africa, Singapore, Vietnam, Ghana, Senegal, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Croatia, Denmark, Moldova, at UNESCO in France, Austria, Lichtenstein, the UK, Germany, Venezuala and Canada. Some of these trips are carried out in cooperation of the Combatting Antisemitism unit of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
2. Poster exhibition "Keeping The Memory Alive" on the theme of Holocaust will be on the display in the Tolerance Center from the 23rd of January. For more information visit:www.jmuseum.lt
3. The International Commission for the Evaluation of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupation Regimes in Lithuania organizes the following commemorative events on the International Day of Commemoration in Honor of the Victims of the Holocaust :
It is organized by the Prime Minister’s office, Centre de Documentation et de Recherche sur l’Enrôlement force, together with the Consistoire israélite. The Grand Rabbi will be attending together with representatives from other religious communities in Luxembourg. Representatives from the different political parties will attend.
It was in Strasbourg on 18th October 2002, that the assembly of the European Ministers of Education came back to a decision taken in Cracovia in October 2000 by the Permanent Conference of the European Education Ministers, as to organize a “Journée de la Mémoire, de l’Holocauste et de la prévention des crimes contre l’humanité.” After having considered the national practices and priorities, the date of the 10th October was accepted and retained, date of the anniversary of the 1941 referendum and “Journée de la Commémoration nationale”. The first “Journée de la Mémoire” got organized in 2003 and turned out to be a great success in general and technical secondary schools. Primary education was also involved in the initiative.
The date of commemoration, fixed on 10th October, however, was reported to the 27th January in accordance with a decision taken by the UN in November 2005 (42 plenary session). So schools will organize the “Day of remembrance of the Holocaust and prevention of crimes against humanity” on 27th January from 2007 onwards.
On and around this day schools organized film presentations, exhibitions, and conferences with survivors. Visits of memorials or historic sites, or trips to concentration camps such as Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen and Natzweiler-Struthof take place all over the school year.
As the previous years, the “Journée de la Mémoire” is organized by the person in charge of this dossier at the Ministry of Education. An event will take place on January 29th, 2014 on a national level in cooperation with the Memorial de la Shoah in Paris. The activities involve pupils of various secondary schools together with their teachers. This year the title of the activities is “Sport, sportifs et Jeux Olympiques dans l’Europe en guerre (1936-1948)”.
The Minister of Education addresses an invitation to the other members of the Government, to the delegates of the various commissions of the National Parliament, to the patriotic organizations and to people in the economic domain and different associations.
There is no website relative to the Commemoration of the 27th January.
This coming January 27th, the Norwegian King Harald will attend the ceremony (see the enclosed program).
Background
Since 2002 the Holocaust Center has taken the responsibility - upon request from the Government - to organize the official Norwegian Memorial Day every year on January 27th.
The Memorial event always takes place at the Memorial to the deported Norwegian Jews. The program consists of a speech by one of the members of the Parliament, representatives of the Norwegian Jews and other groups who were killed or suffered during the Holocaust. Norwegian Jewish school children lit torches in commemoration of all the children who perished, and there are usually one or two artistic performances - either a song, a musical piece or a poem. The memorial event usually ends with the Jewish cantor at the synagogue singing the Kaddish.
Present at this ceremony and at the event which follows, are survivors, members of the Jewish community and the other participating groups, politicians, many ambassadors, representatives from many organizations, the general public and media - television, radio and newspapers. The coverage has been extraordinary broad and informative - before, during and after the Holocaust Day.
Year by year the importance of The International Day has grown in importance. A few years ago we realized that most Norwegian calendars now mention this day – which really proves to which extent this memorial day has become an important part of the Norwegian culture - honoring the Norwegian Jews and the other groups who suffered during the second World War.
For many years there have been memorial events in several other towns in Norway as well - see the link below which gives information about some of them. Likewise many schools around the country have organized speeches or other ways of informing the children about this day. Recently the new Norwegian government suggested to incorporate the International Holocaust Day into all Norwegian schools' curriculum - which will mean that it then will become an even more important national event.
http://holocaustdagen.no/
Declaration
Bearing in mind that the Holocaust challenged the foundations of human civilization and recalling our responsibility to fight the evils of xenophobia, racism and anti-Semitism,
Being fully aware of our obligations and responsibilities under international law including human rights and international humanitarian law,
Reaffirming Romania’s strong commitment to effectively implementing the recommendations of the International Commission on the Holocaust in Romania,
Being fully committed to doing our utmost for the prevention of recurring tendencies of racist, anti-Semitic, xenophobic, negative attitudes and behaviors, and to renewing our cooperation on education, research and remembrance of the Holocaust in order to build a more secure future for us all,
Reiterating that we must not wait for the number of victims of intolerance to reach extensive proportions in order to react,
Anticipating Romania’s assuming the Chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in 2016,
To this end we reaffirm and declare,
Our mutual commitment to optimally utilizing all existing tools and to developing practical mechanisms to monitor xenophobic threats and to implementing the recommendations of the International Commission on the Holocaust in Romania.
Our commitment to educating the youth and the wider public against menaces of all kinds of discrimination through formal and informal educational structures; to disseminating knowledge of these matters to those involved in government, non-governmental organizations, and the media; as well as to encouraging measures to mobilize civil society for Holocaust remembrance and education.
Our pledge to cooperate in our search for effective measures against discrimination with all members of the family of nations, in the relevant global and regional organizations as well as with non-governmental organizations, the media and with business and academic communities.
Our dedication to raising awareness among the newest political generations and civil servants in the national and local administration with respect to their responsibility to fight all forms of discrimination, especially those rooted in the reverberating Holocaust tragedy.
Our strong commitment to monitor and respond to the rise of Holocaust denial and combating the trivialization or relativization of the Holocaust, while encouraging political and public opinion leaders to stand up against such phenomena.
Our encouragement of a coherent and more effective approach to ensuring and extending access to relevant archives.
Our commitment to extending the education about the Holocaust in the curricula of our public education system and to encouraging the funding for the training of teachers and the development or procurement of the resources and materials required for such education.
Our commitment to including human rights education in the curricula of our educational system, believing strongly that international human rights law reflects important lessons from history, and that respect for human rights is essential to confronting and preventing all forms of racial, religious or ethnic discrimination, including anti-Semitism, Anti-Roma and anti-Sinti sentiment.
Romania’s pledge to continue commemoration of its National Day of Romanian Holocaust, October 9th, including preservation of national memorials and other sites of memory and martyrdom. Romania’s commitment to Holocaust remembrance is inspired by its existing Holocaust Museum Monument, a crucial indicator and a recognition of this reverberating tragedy, acknowledging the responsibility of the perpetrators and ensuring concern and compassion for the survivors.
Our support for building upon the present consensus at the level of authorities and civil society in Romania in setting up the project of a Museum presenting the history of Jewish heritage in Romania and of the Holocaust.
Our resolve to continue cooperation with "Ellie Wiesel" National Institute for the Study of Holocaust in Romania and other relevant Romanian or international institutes in order to gain broad support of appropriate remembrance efforts to record and preserve for posterity the testimony of the crimes committed and the humanitarian acts to the memory and warning for generations to come;
Our joint support for the work of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), in anticipation of Romania’s assuming the Chairmanship of the IHRA in 2016, emphasizing Israel’s pledge to assist that Chairmanship’s priorities to the IHRA: working with the media, consolidation of Holocaust education in member countries and beyond, promotion of academic research of Holocaust history and its aftermath.
Signed today, 20th of January 2014, in Jerusalem, in two copies, in English
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be issuing a press release with the following text:
On the 27th of January we bring homage to the memory of the Holocaust victims all over the world and we underline the significant efforts that Romania has made in the last interval of time in terms of assuming the past, condemning Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism.
These were and will continue to be commitments strictly followed by the Romanian authorities. The unveiling, in 2009, in Bucharest of the Holocaust memorial represents an important indicator of the steps Romania has undergone towards recognizing the Holocaust tragedy, acknowledging the responsibility of the perpetrators and ensuring the protection of the survivors.
In October 2013, Romania has presented, at the IHRA (International Holocaust and Remembrance Alliance) Plenary reunion in Toronto, its intention to take over the Chairmanship of this organisation in 2016. The general priorities of the Romanian Chairmanship include the consolidation of Holocaust education in participating states, the promotion of academic research on Holocaust history and of the cooperation between participating states in this field, the promotion of values such as combating anti-Semitism, xenophobia and racism through media partnership.
During the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Israel in December 2013, these commitments were reaffirmed along with the reiteration of the role of future cooperation with the national Institute for the Study of the Holocaust „Elie Wiesel”, other internal (Ministry of Education) or international institutions (Yad Vashem Institute) on Holocaust remembrance and on the developing of educational projects in this field as well as in the field of combating anti-Semitism and discrimination.
We welcome the progress made in the recent years and the development by numerous academic centres of a multitude of programmes of study on the Holocaust, and we are grateful to the Israeli community originating from Romania that has supported and made these developments possible.
These are essential components of the Romanian spiritual patrimony, whose preservation and continuity would not be possible without the historical and cultural support of the Romanian Jewish community.
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will launch, on the 28th of January 2014, Constantin Karadja’s book “The diplomatic and consular manual”, followed by the opening of the exhibition of diplomatic documents entitled “Constantin I. Karadja in the history of Romanian diplomacy”.
The diplomat Constantin I. Karadja( 1889-1950) was Romania’s candidate to the Council of Europe Raoul Wallenberg prize in 2013, awarded to personalities that have made a significant contribution to the rescue of Jews from Budapest, in 1944-1945, and was shortlisted for the prize. Romania has submitted the candidacy of to be awarded this distinction in memoriam.
While acting as Romanian consul in Berlin and director of the Consular Department within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the Romanian diplomat contributed to the return to Romania of 600 Jews from France and 51,537 Jews from Hungary, between 1931-1941 and 1941-1944, and thus precluded them from being deported to the concentration camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
- The Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania will organize, on the 22nd of January 2014, an ample event in commemoration of the pogrom carried out by the legionnaires in Bucharest on 21st – 23rd January 1941. The program includes the laying of wreaths in the Jewish cemetery in Bucharest and a seminar.
- The Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania will organize a series of events on the 27th of January:
In addition to the President, the commemoration ceremony will be attended by ministers and members of the Serbian government, representatives of the City of Belgrade, the survivors of the Holocaust, the representatives of the Association of Jewish Communities of Serbia, the Roma communities, the descendants of the victims, representatives of the diplomatic corps, numerous associations and citizens.
The same day, in the gallery of the Historical Archive of Belgrade, there will be an exhibition under the name of "Belgrade Jews: Life and the Holocaust." The exhibition will be followed by the publication of a remembrance book called the "Pomenik". In the Pomenik there are the names and basic information on 335 victims of whom for 161 of them there is no data in other historical sources. Before us, there are again members of the community doomed to complete disappearance, persons with their names, date of birth, address, occupation, family members, date of death. The Pomenik represents a victory over the planned oblivion; with it, the identity of a significant number of members of the Jewish community of Belgrade was restored. Due to the Pomenik, they have returned to their city and to our collective memory.
Due to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Development, on the 24 January 2014, in all primary and secondary schools in the Republic of Serbia there will be held traditional educational programs (classes, exhibitions, workshops, etc.) dedicated to the tragic historical phenomenon of the Holocaust.
The need to repeatedly remind about of the horrors of the Holocaust, as well as to reject as untrue the allegations that deny its character and the extent of suffering is present in all democratic countries. The necessity of knowing the facts and considering the horrific consequences of the Holocaust will contribute that in Serbia, as well as in other democratic countries, the mass killing of Jews during the Second World War will be perceived in the future as what its character and the scope is - one of the greatest crimes against humanity in the history.
The theme of 2014 Memorial Day
The theme of this year’s memorial day is the fate of the Romani people during the time of the Holocaust. This year 70 years has passed since the Zigeuner Nacht in Auschwitz. This was the night when all the still-alive Romani imprisoned in this part of the concentrations camp were killed. The Living History Forum has decided to dedicate this year’s memorial day to the commemoration of the Romani people, an almost forgotten victim group of the Nazi terror and persecutions.
Exhibition
The Living History Forum has produced an exhibition focusing on the Romani people during the time of the Holocaust. On the 27th of January this exhibition will be on view in Stockholm as well as in the cities of Karlstad, Borås, Västerås, Luleå och Göteborg. In Stockholm it is shown in the center of Stockholm on the Raoul Wallenberg square in connection with the annual official commemoration ceremony arranged on the 27th of January.
Umeå
In the city of Umeå, which has been appointed European Capital of Culture 2014, the Living History Forum, in partnership with the municipality of Umeå, has produced a specific program for all students of the ninth grade, during which the Holocaust Memorial Day will be in focus. Through films and different workshops with the Holocaust as its starting point, the students will work with issues related to the equal value of each and every human being, awareness of the importance of democracy and tolerance.
On 28 January 2014, the President of the Swiss Confederation visits the Auschwitz Memorial Site and Museum. Last year, Switzerland has provided the perpetual fund for the preservation of the Memorial Site with 1 million Euros.
Several activities or ceremonies are also organized in some cantons and schools. In Geneva the topic chosen is how Switzerland has been dealing with the Holocaust, whereas the memory of the Arameans is commemorated in Ticino. With Swiss and other supports, a ceremony is organized at the United Nations Office at Geneva.
Holocaust Memorial Day has taken place in the UK since 2001. Since 2005 the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust has coordinated and promoted HMD in the UK. HMDT is a charity set up by the UK Government and funded by its Department for Communities & Local Government. In the UK, Holocaust Memorial Day commemorates the Holocaust, those who suffered under Nazi persecution, and in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
HMDT organises the UK national commemoration event for HMD, as well as promoting and supporting activities and projects in local communities, schools and other educational institutions. HMDT reaches tens of thousands of people. Over 2,000 activities took place across the UK for HMD 2013, with a fifth of these activities having audiences of more than 500 people. The HMD 2013 film Lessons Learnt was watched by over 85,000 people, and 2,758 people made an online pledge.
Theme for HMD 2014
The theme for UK Holocaust Memorial Day 2014 is Journeys. The theme reminds us that the Holocaust, and subsequent genocides, were characterised by forced journeys. On HMD 2014 we can learn how journeys themselves became part of genocide, and how the journeys undertaken were often experiences of persecution and terror for so many people who suffered in the Holocaust, under Nazi Persecution and in subsequent genocides. We can also learn about the life stories of journeys that brought survivors to the UK.
UK Commemoration Event
HMDT organises the annual HMD commemoration event for the UK. This is a formal ceremony, providing a national focus for HMD. The commemorative ceremony for HMD 2014 includes candle lightings, survivors’ testimony, music, prayer, speeches, and exhibitions. Participants in the ceremony will include Ephraim Mirvis, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth; Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP, Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government; and Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, Leader of the Opposition. Similar events will be held in the devolved nations (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) and Prime Minister Rt Hon David Cameron MP will be marking HMD shortly after the UK ceremony.
UK Public Event
HMDT is also organising a short public event for the 27 January. To reflect the 2014 theme Journeys, it will be held Kings Cross railway station in central London, which is one of Britain’s biggest transport hubs. It will provide an opportunity for engagement with the media and the public, with both a government minister and a Holocaust survivor in attendance. There will be a short commemoration, candle lighting, and the chance to connect with those travelling through the railway station, asking them to pledge to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day.
Activities across the UK
HMDT’s role includes providing support to local event organisers in commemorating HMD. In 2013 over 2,000 commemoration activities took place in the UK for HMD. HMDT produces a Activity pack for event organisers, and its website contains a wealth of resources and advice. Activities included classroom activities, exhibitions, civic ceremonies, speaker events, readings, performing arts, tree plantings and film screenings.
Online activity
HMDT is asking people to take part in an online action – to pledge to ‘take a step’ to commemorate HMD. HMDT has also commissioned a short film for HMD 2014. It will follow the theme of Journeys and feature stories from survivors of genocide. Over 85,000 people watched the online film for HMD 2013.
The Anne Frank Trust UK
The Anne Frank Trust has several copies of the exhibition Anne Frank, A History for Today which visits secondary schools and prisons, where students and prisoners are trained to be peer educators. A range of activities and workshops accompany the exhibitions.
It also has two touring exhibitions for public viewing, the larger exhibition Anne Frank and You and the photographic exhibition Anne Frank and Family.
For further information please see www.annefrank.org.uk
London
The Anne Frank Trust will be holding their annual lunch to mark Holocaust Memorial Day for London’s business community. Speakers will include BBC Director of News James Harding and Liliane Umubyeyi, survivor of the Rwandan genocide. The Anne Frank Award for Moral Courage will be awarded to Malala Yousafzai, and will be accepted by her father Ziauddin Yousafzai.
The Trust is holding the exhibition Anne Frank, A History for Today at Acton High School in west London, with students being trained as peer guides.
Her Majesty’s Prison Ford
Ford Open Prison has especially requested the Anne Frank, A History for Today exhibition for one week to coincide with Holocaust Memorial Day. Prisoners are being trained to act as exhibition peer guides.
North East England Region
Grace Dunne, Anne Frank Trust North East Region Manager, will be at Teesside University for their Holocaust Memorial Day event on Monday 27th. Anne Frank: A History for Today will be on display and university students will be trained as peer guides.
http://www.tees.ac.uk/sections/whats_on/events_details.cfm?event_id=6069
Grace Dunne will also be attending Newcastle's civic event on Sunday 26th.
From 20th - 31st January, the Anne Frank: A History for Today exhibition will be at Biddick Academy in Sunderland and form part of their week-long HMD programme, which involves all year groups hearing from speakers including Rwandan Genocide survivor Ali Hassan and Holocaust survivors Sylvia Hurst, George Lobel MBE and Dr Martin Stern.
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/10949201.Experts_gather_to_mark_Holocaust_Memorial_Day/?ref=var_0
East of England Region
Val Ross, Anne Frank Trust East of England Region Manager, will be guest speaker at the Huntingdonshire District Council HMD event on 27 January at 7:00pm.
The Trust will be showing their Anne Frank and Family photographic exhibition at the Forum in Norwich. Open to the public.
http://www.theforumnorwich.co.uk/events/anne-frank-and-family
The larger exhibition Anne Frank and You will be on show at Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire from 4 – 27 February.
Yorkshire and Humberside Region
The Trust is holding the exhibition Anne Frank, A History for Today at Laisterdyke College in Bradford, where students will be trained to be exhibition peer guides.
Scotland
The Trust will have copies of the exhibition Anne Frank, A History for Today at Castlemilk High School in Glasgow and Braes High School in Falkirk during the week commencing 27th January, with HMD related activities and workshops. Students at both schools will be trained as exhibition peer guides.
Guernsey, Channel Islands
The Trust is holding a three month tour of the exhibition Anne Frank, A History for Today in Guernsey secondary schools. Students are being trained as exhibition peer guides.
The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR)
The Association of Jewish Refugees’ Holocaust Memorial Day event will be on Tuesday 28 January 2014 at Belsize Square Synagogue, 51 Belsize Square, London, NW3 4HX.
The theme for HMD 2014 is 'Journeys’ and the AJR is very honored that the guest speaker will be Allan Noel-Baker, the grandson of Philip Noel-Baker, the MP who instigated the famous debate in Parliament of 21 November 1938 called in response to Kristallnacht, the Nazi pogrom that took place on 9 and 10 November 1938 throughout Germany and Austria. The debate concluded with the decision to create the Kindertransport through which some 10,000, mostly Jewish, children aged between 3-17 found refuge in Britain.
Rabbi Stuart Altshuler will lead the service, during which AJR members will light memorial candles and Kaddish will be recited. As well as AJR members we would be especially delighted to welcome the children and grandchildren of Holocaust refugees and survivors.
For those interested in seeing the service but unable to attend, the AJR is delighted that internet viewers can stream the service through the Belsize Square Synagogue website www.synagogue.org.uk – just click on the yellow BelsizeLIVE button at the top of the homepage.
University College London
UCL’s free public Lunch Hour Lectures on Tuesday 28 January is entitled “Oblivion and memorialisation: The legacies of Nazi persecution in Europe.”
The lecture is free and open to all on a first-come first-served basis and require no pre-booking. Lectures can also be watched live online at www.ucl.ac.uk/lhl/streamed or after the event at theYouTube channel www.youtube.com/UCLLHL.
Date: Tuesday 28 January, 1.15pm - 1.55pm
Venue: The Darwin Lecture Theatre, access via Malet Place, University College London, WC1E 6BT
Title: Oblivion and memorialisation: The legacies of Nazi persecution in Europe
Lecturer: Professor Mary Fulbrook, UCL German
Summary: Holocaust remembrance has attained an ever-greater place in the consciousness of people across Europe and around the world. But memorialization inevitably entails a selective focus and is accompanied by a marginalization and even erasure of other traces of a disturbing past. This lecture explores some of the diverse and complex legacies of Nazi persecution.
Monday, January 27, 2014
The Path to Nazi Genocide
A 38 minute FILM will be screened on the half-hour (beginning at 10:30am) throughout the day in the Museum's Helena Rubinstein auditorium
Produced by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, this new resource examines the Nazis’ rise and consolidation of power in Germany, explores their ideology, propaganda, and persecution of Jews and other victims. Using rarely seen and amateur footage and Museum collections, the film outlines the path by which the Nazis and their collaborators led a state to war and to the murder of millions of people. Providing a concise overview of the Holocaust and those involved, this resource is intended to provoke reflection and discussion about the role of ordinary people, institutions, and nations between 1918 and 1945.
Visit with Holocaust Survivors
Visitors to the Museum on January 27th can speak with Holocaust survivors and ask questions about their experiences (Membership Desk, from 11 AM - 4 PM)
Names Reading Ceremony
Hall of Remembrance from 11 AM unitl 4:30 PM.
Visitors to the Museum are invited to participate in the ceremony, which involves reading aloud the names of victims of the Holocaust. Lists of names will be available in the Hall of Remembrance, or participants can read your own list of Holocaust victims. The allotted reading time is five minutes, with additional time available contingent upon the lines.
Monday, January 27, 2014, in Boca Raton, Florida
At its annual South Florida luncheon, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will commemorate IHRD with remarks by Judge Thomas Buergenthal, a former justice on the International Court of Justice in The Hague and a child survivor of Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
Because the date falls on a Monday when Members of Parliament are visiting their constituencies, the special session at the Parliament will be postponed to the 29th of January.
This commemorative session will take place right after the adjournment of the plenary session at 7.00pm, and it will include an exhibition by students from a secondary level school and a movie. It is being prepared by the office of the Speaker in collaboration with Memoshoá, an organization of the civil society.
Women’s role in the Resistance
A personal account by a survivor, performance of a play, exhibitions of portraits of women and musical interludes are on the programme during this event, jointly organised by the European Centre which commemorates deported Resistance members and the Council of Europe.
European Youth Centre
30 rue Pierre de Coubertin - Strasbourg
Sunday 26 January from 2 to 6 pm
Programme (french)
Monday 27 January
Screening of creative documentary ''KARUSSEL'' in presence of the film’s director, Ilona Ziok, who will present the film.
This documentary tells the life story of the actor Kurt Gerron (who played in ''The Blue Angel'' opposite Marlene Dietrich) who was interned in the Theresienstadt camp. Gerron created a cabaret – Der Karrussel – in the camp.
This film reproduces the atmosphere of this cabaret with songs sung by todays stars (Ute Lemper, Max Raabe, Ben Becker for example) and so tells the story of Kurt Gerron and life in the Theresienstadt camp.
It has received many international documentary awards.
Screening room of the Council of Europe
at 12:30 french with english sub-titles
and 17:00 english with french sub-titles
Entrance free
This film received coproduction support from Eurimages, the Council of Europe’s European cinema support fund in 1997. It was made for SFB-ARTE
Screening languages: Original version (german/french/english) with English sub-titles
“The remembrance ceremonies taking place in many countries today are important opportunities for governments to speak out against anti-Semitism, and against intolerance and racism more broadly,” Lenarčič said. “Ensuring that teaching about the Holocaust is part of school curricula is an effective way for all OSCE participating States to raise awareness about these dangers.”
Citing information from civil society organizations contained in ODIHR’s annual report Hate Crimes in the OSCE Region: Incidents and Responses, he noted that the Holocaust continues to be referenced in anti-Semitic attacks and that Holocaust memorials had been vandalized in different parts of the region.
“We must ensure a powerful response to Holocaust denial and trivialization,” Lenarčič said. “We cannot allow the memory of the Holocaust to be used as a justification for, rather than a warning against, anti-Semitism.”
ODIHR provides assistance to governments in raising awareness about the Holocaust and its causes, notably anti-Semitism. Partnering with other intergovernmental organizations, including the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), ODIHR fosters multilateral co-operation and dialogue among governments and civil society on issues related to Holocaust education and remembrance.
“There is a lot that governments can learn from each other when it comes to promoting Holocaust remembrance, education and research,” said Dr. Mario Silva, Chairperson of the IHRA. “Each society may have its own specific history with regard to the Holocaust. At the same time, there is a shared commitment to remember the victims and the rescuers and to educate the younger generations about this unique event.”
ODIHR’s online publication Holocaust Memorial Days in the OSCE region (http://tandis.odihr.pl/hmd/) provides both general and country-specific summaries on the days chosen and the activities implemented on the occasion of Holocaust Memorial Days. It also contains information about efforts to commemorate the Roma and Sinti genocide on a special day, in some countries on 2 August.
The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme & US Holocaust Memorial Museum Announce New Partnership
The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme is partnering with the United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum to make a new film resource and educational package available to
educators around the world in all United Nations official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.
The film, The Path to Nazi Genocide, was produced by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and subtitled by the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme. Together with an article and timeline on the Holocaust, the DVD will be distributed to the global network of United Nations Information Centres and teachers to assist them in introducing the Holocaust to students. Using rare footage, the film examines the Nazis’ rise and consolidation of power in Germany and explores their ideology, propaganda, and persecution of Jews and other victims. It also outlines the path by which the Nazis and their collaborators led a state to war and to the
murder of millions of people. By providing a concise overview of the Holocaust and those involved, this resource is intended to provoke reflection and discussion about the role of ordinary people, institutions and nations between 1918 and 1945.
To stream the DVD in the classroom in English and obtain additional educational resources, please visit www.ushmm.org. Educators may request a copy of the DVD with subtitles by writing to holocaustremembrance@un.org.
The film is intended for adult viewers, but selected segments may by appropriate for younger audience.
This film was made possible by generous support from Dr. Donald and Sue Hecht, the Bernice and Milton Stern Foundation, the Louis and Henrietta Blaustein Foundation and the May Family Endowment for Civic Responsibility.
Thursday, 23 January 2014
NGO Briefing
“The 70th Anniversary of the Deportation of the Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust”
Conference Room 2 (Conference Building)
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Contact: undpingo@un.org
In this briefing, the participants will learn how the German Security Police worked with Hungarian authorities to systematically deport Jews from Hungary in May of 1944. In less than two months, almost 440,000 Jews were deported. Most were sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau, German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945), but some were sent to the Hungarian border with Austria where they were forced to build fortification trenches. Speakers will include Dr. Carol Rittner RSM, Distinguished Professor of Holocaust & Genocide Studies, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey; Mrs. Annette Lantos, Chairman of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice and Hungarian Holocaust Survivor; and H.E. Mr. Csaba Kőrösi, Permanent Representative of Hungary to the United Nations. Dr. Rittner will provide the historical background, Mrs. Lantos will share her personal story of survival and Ambassador Csaba Kőrösi will provide information on how Hungary is commemorating this important anniversary. The briefing is open to all. Non-United Nations Grounds Pass holders must register.
Exhibit Opening (registration required to attend opening)
“A Remembrance of the Holocaust in Hungary: 70th Anniversary Exhibition”
First Floor (Conference Building)
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Contact: eszter@hacusa.org
This exhibition presents a historical account of the Holocaust in Hungary in observance of the 70th anniversary of the deportation and extermination of the Hungarian Jews. Partners include: the Permanent Mission of Hungary to the United Nations, Tom Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice; the Hungarian American Coalition; the Hungary Initiatives Foundation and the Carl Lutz Foundation. The exhibition will be available for viewing through 31January 2014.
Monday, 27 January 2014
Holocaust Memorial Ceremony
General Assembly Hall (North Lawn Building)
11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Contact: holocaustremembrance@un.org
Hosted by the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, this solemn ceremony is centred around the theme "Journeys through the Holocaust" and will feature a message from the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; and remarks by H.E. John W. Ashe, President of the 68th Session of the General Assembly;H.E. Ron Prosor, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations; H. E. Samantha Power, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations and Holocaust survivor Rena Finder. Filmmaker Steven Spielberg will deliver the keynote address. This year will mark the 20th anniversary of the USC Shoah Foundation Institute, which was founded by Mr. Spielberg following the filming of Schindler’s list. The USC Shoah Foundation Institute is a long-standing partner of the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme. Cantor Shmuel Barzilai of Vienna will recite the memorial prayers between musical interludes by the 92nd Street Y's Woodwind Quintet.
The Holocaust memorial ceremony is open to all but registration is required. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. When the GA Hall is full, guests will be seated in an overflow room with a monitor to view the ceremony.
Panel Discussion "The Rescue of Jews in Albania"
Venue: Conference Room 3 (Conference Building)
Time: 1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Contact: rsvpun@bnaibrith.org or 212-557-0019
In extraordinary contrast with much of the rest of Europe, Albania – a Muslim-majority nation occupied by Nazi Germany in 1943 and 1944 -- proved a place of refuge for virtually its entire Jewish population and others who sought haven there. In all, some 2,000 Jews were rescued from the Nazi genocide in this small country. This program will explore the circumstances and values that led Albanians to bravely save the lives of the innocent during the Holocaust. The event is organized by B’nai B’rith International and the Permanent Mission of Albania to the United Nations.
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Exhibit Opening (by invitation only)
“When You Listen to a Witness, You Become a Witness”
Dag Hammarskjold Library (First Basement)
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Contact: elir@bell.net
Produced by the March of the Living International, this exhibition documents the experiences of students while visiting the former Nazi concentration camps established in German-occupied Poland during the Second World War. Through photographs, personal stories and interactions with Holocaust survivors, viewers will learn about the horrors of the Holocaust and the lessons to be passed on to future generations. The exhibition will be available for viewing through February 2014.
Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Film Screening and Discussion “Blinky and Me”
Conference Room 2 (Conference Building)
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Contact: holocaustremembrance@un.org
This documentary film tells the life story of Yoram Gross, a Holocaust survivor and iconic Australian animator. Through discussions with his five grandchildren, Gross recounts his family’s experience in hiding and narrow escapes from the Nazis in Poland. The film follows the artist through his childhood there, to Israel and finally Australia where he settled with his wife to raise a family. His early work as an animator eventually led to the creation of the animated popular television series “The Adventures of Blinky Bill”, adapted from the children’s books by Dorothy Wall. In Mr. Gross’ animated series, many of Blinky’s encounters are based on Yoram’s own childhood experiences while running from the Nazis. This heartwarming film leads viewers to reflect on the human tragedy of the Holocaust, and the unrealized potential of those that were lost. H.E. Ms. Philippa Jane King, Deputy Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations and Under-Secretary-General Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal will open the film. A discussion with filmmaker Tomasz Magierski and Yoram Gross will follow the screening. The film screening is open to all.
View a complete list of all UN Holocaust Programme activities here.
Secretary-General Stresses Need to Be Ever Vigilant against Bigotry, Extremism,
in Message for World Commemoration of Holocaust Victims
Following is UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the International Day of
Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, to be observed
on 27 January:
Every year on the
anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, we
commemorate the victims of the Holocaust. We recall the suffering of
millions of innocent people and highlight the perils of anti-Semitism
and hatred of any kind.
This year we focus on
journeys through the Holocaust — and I recall a recent journey of my
own. Last November, I walked through the infamous “arbeit macht frei” gate at Auschwitz-Birkenau. I will never forget my visit.
I saw the horrific
remnants of the machinery of genocide, as well as moving images of
European Jewish life in the 1930s — weddings, family meals, rituals,
other scenes of simple daily life — all extinguished through systematic
murder unique in human history. I saw the barracks where Jews, Roma,
Sinti, homosexuals, dissidents, prisoners of war and persons with
disabilities spent their final days in the most brutal conditions.
The United Nations was
founded to prevent any such horror from happening again. Yet tragedies
from Cambodia to Rwanda to Srebrenica show that the poison of
genocide still flows. We must be ever vigilant against bigotry,
extremist ideologies, communal tensions and discrimination against
minorities. And we must teach our children well. The Holocaust and the
United Nations Outreach Programme has developed effective educational
materials and strong partnerships that help convey these lessons to
students around the world.
Standing near the
crematorium at Auschwitz, I felt deeply saddened by all that had
happened within. But I was also inspired by all those who liberated the
death camps for all humanity. Let us join forces today on a shared
journey to a world of equality and dignity for all.
* *** *
2014 Calendar of Holocaust Remembrance Events
The 2014 observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust is centred around the theme “Journeys through the Holocaust”. This theme recalls the various journeys taken during this dark period, from deportation to incarceration to freedom, and how this experience transformed the lives of those who endured it. These are stories of pain and suffering, yet ultimately also of triumph and renewal, serving as a guiding force for future generationsMember Countries: Argentina - Austria - Belgium - Canada - Croatia - Czech Republic - Denmark - Estonia - Finland - France - Germany - Greece - Hungary - Ireland - Israel - Italy - Latvia - Lithuania - Luxembourg - Netherlands - Norway - Poland - Romania - Serbia - Slovakia - Slovenia - Spain - Sweden - Switzerland - United Kingdom - United States; Observer Countries: Bulgaria - the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia - Portugal - Turkey - Uruguay; Permanent International Partners: Claims Conference – CoE – FRA – OSCE/ODIHR – UNESCO - United Nations
Member Countries
Argentina
The Holocaust Museum in Buenos Aires and the Information Center of the United Nations in Argentina and Uruguay will be hosting an event on 29 January to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. During the event, the international poster exhibition on the theme "Journeys through the Holocaust" will open.Austria
The main Holocaust commemoration day in Austria is the 5th of May. On 5th of May 1945 the Mauthausen concentration camp was liberated. Another important day of remembrance in Austria is the 9th of November (“Reichskristallnacht” - http://www.parlament.gv.at/SERV/VER/NOVPOGR/) with a number of events.This year on 27th of January 2014, there will be a big commemoration event on Heldenplatz in Vienna, organized among others by the Jewish Community of Vienna as a member of the platform “Jetzt Zeichen setzen!” A lot of different organizations will take part in this big event (http://www.jetztzeichensetzen.at/?page_id=743).
Some other, smaller events on the occasion of the International Day of Commemoration to honor the victims of the Holocaust are for example:
- the President of the National Council, Barbara Prammer invites to the lecture “ERINNERUNG UND WANDEL”
- the installation of a commemorative plaque in Vienna for Theodor Schreier, murdered 1943 in Theresienstadt
- a book presentation in Vienna: Heimat – Vielleicht. Kinder von Holocaustüberlebenden zwischen Deutschland und Israel
- Stadt Hohenems: film presentation „Akte Grueninger. Die Geschichte eines Grenzgängers“
- Klagenfurt: opening of the new memorial place in Platzgasse 3
Belgium
Monday, 27 January is the date set for the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.27 January 2014 will mark 69 years to the very day that the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp was liberated. As a symbol of the Holocaust, this camp and so many others was the scene of several million appalling deaths. No less than six million Jews along with Roma, Sinti, political prisoners and homosexuals were systematically persecuted, brutalised and murdered. This Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust is also intended to pay tribute to the memory transmitted by the survivors. These people play a key role in educating new generations in order to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive. Their stories must live on during the commemorations in order to encourage people to remember and to prevent the suffering of millions of men, women and children from becoming trivialised.
Pursuant to resolution 60/7 on Holocaust remembrance, adopted on 1 November 2005, the United Nations General Assembly decided to designate 27 January of each year as the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The Belgian Federal Authorities are fully engaged in this day of remembrance, which is acknowledged as being an important reminder of the universal lessons of the Holocaust and respect for the human rights of all people, irrespective of race, sex, language or religion. From March 2012 - March 2013, Belgium held its 12-month term presiding over the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, an intergovernmental organisation whose members are committed to the principles set out in the Stockholm Declaration. The Belgian Presidency turned the international spotlight on the policies being undertaken by the federal authorities and the federated entities to facilitate remembrance, education and research focused on the Holocaust, the promotion of human rights and combating any form of racism and antisemitism.
The awful experience of the Holocaust has also taught us that even during the darkest periods of our history, men and women in Belgium and many other countries found the courage not to remain indifferent to the injustice inflicted upon their fellow citizens. They bravely risked their own lives to save many children, women and men. These righteous people and these saviours had no intention of acting like heroes. They were simply doing what they thought was perfectly normal: helping and saving their fellow citizens.
Canada
Canadian governments (federal, provincial, and territorial) acknowledge 27 January as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Non-governmental organizations across Canada will host events to mark the day and a partial list is included below based on information provided by Canadian organizations.National Initiatives
This day will be marked with official statements by Canadian Minister for Multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, and by several provincial/territorial premiers.
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB), in partnership with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), is organizing an English language International Holocaust Remembrance Day Virtual Classroom on January 27. A French language virtual classroom will follow on February 4. These professional development events will help educators discover new approaches to teaching about the Holocaust and its lessons on human rights, racism, democratic values, citizenship and genocide. During the virtual classrooms, which will run as live webcasts, educators will interact with Holocaust experts. Information on additional resources is available through the CIC website.
Events Across Canada
In Toronto, the Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre, in partnership with the Esther Bem Memorial Fund the University of Toronto’s Centre for Jewish Studies, will host an annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day lecture on Sunday, January 26, 2014 at 11:00 am at the Munk School for Global Affairs. The program will focus on the moral, legal and historical dimensions of identifying the provenance of art seized or stolen during the National Socialist period and resolving the injustices caused by Nazi cultural policies. Walter Stechel, Consul General of Germany in Toronto will deliver the keynote address titled, “Degenerate and Looted: The Unfolding Case of the Munich Art Trove”.
In addition, Citizenship and Immigration Canada is partnering with the Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre to offer workshops on the Holocaust for newcomers in the Greater Toronto Area, Kitchener-Waterloo and Peterborough, Ontario, which will take place in January and February 2014.
In Ottawa, the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Tour for Humanity mobile Tolerance Education Center on Parliament Hill at noon. In the evening, they will host the Ottawa Premier of the Moriah Films documentary, “The Prime Ministers” at the Canadian War Museum.
In Winnipeg, an Interfaith Concert – including a synagogue choir and three church choirs – will be held at Westminster United Church on January 26, 2014. The event is sponsored by the Ridd Institute for Religion and Global Policy of the Global College, University of Winnipeg, The Azrieli Foundation, The Jewish Post and News, The Freeman Family Foundation Holocaust Education Centre and Westminster United Church.
The Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre, in partnership with The Azrieli Foundation, will host the film premiere of The Lady in Number 6 (subtitled in French). The screening will be followed by a discussion with the Director and Holocaust survivors.
The Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre will host a commemorative evening on January 27, 2014 at the Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre. Louise Stein Sorensen, a Holocaust survivor educator and outreach speaker will share her experiences as a child survivor of the Holocaust, followed by a memorial candle lighting by Holocaust Survivors in memory of those who perished, and a reception and Exhibit Opening of Anne Frank A History for Today at the VHEC.
Croatia
No information is available at this time.Czech Republic
A remembrance meeting at the occasion of The Day of Commemoration in Memory of Victims of the Holocaust and Prevention of Crimes Against Humanity is organized for the 9th time on 27 January by the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic and the Foundation For Holocaust Victims in cooperation with the office of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. The meeting is held at the Main Hall of the Senate under the auspices of Mr. Milan Štěch, President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic who will address the guests at this meeting. Speeches will be this year given also by Ms. Jaroslava Jermanová, the Vice-Chairperson of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, by Mr. Luděk Eliáš, survivor of Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau, by the Director of the Museum of Romani Culture in Brno, Ms. Jana Horvátová, and by Mr. Petr Papoušek, President of the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic. Piano concertos by Sergei Prokofiev and Franz List will be performed by Czech pianist Božena Steinerová. Every year the survivors of Nazi concentration camps, representatives of associations of former Nazi prisoners (e. g. the Terezin Initiative, Historical Group Auschwitz-Birkenau, Hidden Child etc.) attend this commemorative meeting as well as the Archbishop of Prague, the Chief Rabbi of the Czech Republic, Ambassadors and many other important personalities of cultural, political and religious life.An evening gala concert is held at the Spanish Synagogue in Prague organized by the Jewish Museum in Prague and the Jewish Community of Prague.
The Jewish Community of Olomouc, under the auspices of the President of the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic Mr. Petr Papoušek, prepared an exhibition of posters from the international competition “Keeping the Memory Alive, a joint project of the Yad Vashem Museum (Israel), the European Shoa Legacy Institution (Czech Republic), the London Jewish Cultural Center (GB), the Canadian Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and The Holocaust and United Nations Outreach Programme. Czech authors of the posters will be present at this exhibition.
On this day remembrance events are also organized by Jewish communities of Liberec, Jewish communities in Teplice, Jewish communities in Ústí nad Labem and Jewish communities in Karlovy Vary, mostly in cooperation with City Hall..
A commemorative meeting is also held in Prague at Clementinum organized by the Czech Union of Czech Freedom Fighters.
27 January International Holocaust Remembrance Day Events in Museum of Romani Culture, Brno, Czech Republic
On the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day will be in the Museum of Romani Culture in Brno presented the exhibition called „Zapomenutá sousedství“ (Forgotten neighborhoods), created by local non-governmental organisation Okrašlovací spolek pro Lomnici a okolí from the town Lomnice. The exhibition provides access to information about the persecution and genocide of the local Jews and Roma in the former political district Tišnov during the WWII. The exhibition consists of materials from the archives, historical photos and other documents. The exhibition is in Czech and English language version and will be presented in the Museum of Romani Culture until 7 March 2014.
Like every year the Museum of Romani Culture in Brno on the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day will prepare on the 27th of January the interactive educational program for the Czech youth called „Šoa – porajmos – holocaust“ (Shoah - Porrajimos – Holocaust). The program was developed in collaboration of the Museum of Roma Culture and the Jewish Museum in Prague. The aim of the program for pupils and students of primary and secondary schools is to obtain an overall insight into the issue of the Holocaust. The unique combination of the two institutions offers a view of World War II through the eyes of Jewish and Roma victims. The pupils will receive an overview of the important events of World War II, take on specific memories of the victims and survivors and have the opportunity to meet with Jewish and Roma survivors and listen to their life stories.
More information:
http://www.rommuz.cz/
https://www.facebook.com/muzeum.romske.kultury?fref=ts
Additional Information
Jewish Museum Commemoration Ceremony (in Czech)
Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic Ceremony Program
“Keeping the Memory Alive” Poster Competition (in Czech)
Remembrance Event for the Children of the Theresienstadt Ghetto
Denmark
Auschwitz DayIn Denmark January 27th is marked as Auschwitz Day, a Day of Holocaust and Genocide Remembrance. The day is dedicated to commemorate the victims and support the survivors, to promote education and public awareness about the Holocaust and other genocides.
This year Auschwitz Day is marked under the theme “Resistance” and event and activities throughout the country will put a special focus to resistance as a term, which actions that may fall under the category and what motivates resistance on different levels.
In Denmark the activities relating to Auschwitz Day fall into two categories: Educational activities and commemorative events.
Educational activities
Under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, students in lower and upper secondary education around the country are offered lectures from experts and visits from survivors. Schools may also make special visits to relevant museums and thus learn about the Holocaust and other genocides. In the weeks and months leading up to January 27th several thousands of students from across the country have made good use of these opportunities. Please visit www.auschwitz-dag.dk to learn more.
Commemorative events
On or around January 27th various remembrance activities aimed at the public are organized by local authorities, universities, libraries, museums, churches, private organizations, NGOs, etc.
Events in Copenhagen:
In Copenhagen the municipality invites attendees to the main commemorative event in the glass hall Theatre in Tivoli. (http://www.kk.dk/da/brugbyen/find-arrangement/auschwitzdag) The program includes speeches, lightning of candles and music performance.
The Danish Institute for International Studies invites you to a seminar marking the 65th anniversary of the genocide convention (http://www.diis.dk/hjem/seminarer/2014/65+år+med+fns+folkedrabskonvention+muligheder+og+begrænsninger)
The main public library in Copenhagen invites you to a seminar (https://bibliotek.kk.dk/biblioteker/hovedbiblioteket/event/landskaber-doedens-metropol
The Danish Jewish Museum invites you to a seminar looking at the relation between humor and Resistance (http://jewmus.dk/aktuelt/visning/auschwitz-dag-2014/)
In addition to the listed activities in Copenhagen events and initiatives related to Auschwitz Day will also take place in Elsinore, Roskilde, Odense and Aarhus. Please visit the Auschwitz Day calendar and learn more about different events across Denmark. http://www.auschwitz-dag.dk/sw87118.asp
Estonia
On 27 January, the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Estonia will commemorate the victims of Holocaust and hold a ceremony at the memorial of Klooga. Members of the Government and Diplomatic Corps, as well as history and social education teachers will attend it.The timetable is as follows:
9:45 Arrival at the memorial of Klooga
10:00–11:00 Placing wreaths, speeches by Prof Dr Jaak Aaviksoo, Minister of Education and Research, Ms Alla Jakobson, Head of the Jewish Community, and H.E.Mr Peter McIvor, Ambassador of Ireland to Estonia, prayer by the Shmuel Kot, Chief Rabbi, visit of the memorial
11:00 End of the ceremony, return to Tallinn
After the memorial ceremony, at noon till 18:00, there will be a seminar at the Jewish Community Centre for history and social education teachers entitled “From the Past to the Future – A Story of a Community”, which will be opened by the Minister of Culture, Ms Urve Tiidus. After opening the seminar, the Minister will have an introductory tour at the Jewish Community Centre and the Synagogue.
Finland
A symposium on the modern forms of hate speech and antisemitism and a reception commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day are being held by the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Finnish Holocaust Remembrance Association on January 27.For more information, please view the invitation.
France
On January 27th, the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, the anniversary of liberation of Auschwitz camp, many remembrance events will be organized throughout France. As in previous years, educational and commemorative ceremonies will be held in collaboration with local authorities and memorial sites.The Shoah Memorial is coordinating a number of educational and commemorative events across the country, with support from the Ministry of Defense and the National Office for Veterans and Victims of War, in partnership with the association Œuvre Nationale du Bleuet de France and several memorial sites linked to the persecution, internment, deportation and extermination of French Jews. The sites concerned are as follows:
• Maison d’Izieu Memorial, Ain;
• Camp de Gurs Memorial, Pyrénées-Atlantiques;
• Camp des Milles Memorial, Bouches-du-Rhône;
• Camp de Pithiviers Memorial, Loiret;
• Camp de Beaune-la-Rolande Memorial, Loiret;
• European Centre of Deported Resistance Members and Obernai Synagogue, Bas-Rhin;
• Camp de Rivesaltes Memorial, Pyrénées-Orientales;
• Shoah Memorial, Paris, Drancy (Seine-Saint-Denis) and Toulouse (Haute-Garonne);
• Town of Chambon-sur-Lignon, Haute-Loire;
• Montluc Prison Memorial, Rhône;
• Resistance and Deportation History Centre, Lyon;
• Internment and Deportation Memorial, Camp de Royallieu, Oise.
The full program of events is available on the Shoah Memorial website and on the website of the Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah.
Among these events, the Camp des Milles memorial museum, which was inaugurated in September 2012 by the Prime Minister, is holding a commemorative ceremony, under the high patronage of the President of the French Republic, François Hollande, at the Camp des Milles Wagon of Remembrance. The attendance of numerous students as well as the unique reflection area combining Memory and civic education, remind us how important is the transmission of memory and values to new generations
The Ambassador at-large for Human Rights, in charge of Holocaust issues, will be in Israel on 27 January, where she will attend a ceremony held by the Massuah Institute for Holocaust Studies. This visit falls within France’s commitment to preserve and pass on the memory of the Holocaust which constitutes, along with the struggle against antisemitism, a fundamental component of France’s diplomacy.
Germany
The German Bundestag’s Ceremony of Remembrance marking the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of National Socialism will be held on Monday, 27 January 2014, beginning at 14:00, in the plenary chamber of the Reichstag Building in Berlin. This year’s guest speaker is the 95-year-old Russian author Daniil Granin.The Ceremony will be broadcast online at http://www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/index.html from 14.00 hrs and can also be watched on mobile devices.
Since June 2013 the sculpture of the International Auschwitz Committee "to B Remembered" has been open to the public at Wittenbergplatz in Berlin. The sculpture, developed by the French artist Michele Deodat and produced by young Volkswagen trainees, refers to the inscription above the main gate to Auschwitz I "ARBEIT MACHT FREI” and the hidden message of the prisoners who turned the "B" in the word "ARBEIT" secretly upside down.
Now the sculpture will leave Berlin for Brussels, where it will be presented in front of the European Parliament. On the 30th of January the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz, together with survivors and young people from different European countries, will welcome the sculpture and the message of the survivors engraved in the statue:
"RememBer: when injustices take place, when people are discriminated against and persecuted- never remain indifferent. Indifference kills."
Greece
No information is available at this time.Hungary
Statement by the President on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance DayThe Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp was liberated on 27th January 1945 by troops of the First Ukrainian Front. The United Nations Organization declared this day International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Despite being several hundreds of kilometers from our country, Auschwitz forms part of Hungarian history. This death camp was the site of the inhuman suffering, humiliation and the death of close to half a million of our compatriots.
Seventy years ago, following the German occupation of our country in 1944, the will of Hitler’s Nazi Germany seemed to be fulfilled by the Nazi governors and the Hungarian state authorities collaborating with them. Within barely half a year they mercilessly executed their program of creating ghettos and deported the entire Hungarian Jewry living in the countryside.
We shall never forget that in that tragic year seventy years ago, an endless convoy of death trains left the Hungarian territories for Nazi concentration camps. We shall never forget either that several hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens herded into ghettos would have also suffered the same fate, had the war evolved according to the intents of Hitler’s Germany and its Arrow Cross puppets.
The tragedy of Hungarian Jews is the pain and the irreplaceable loss of our entire political nation.
Therefore I call on Hungarian radios and televisions, asking them to contribute within their means to help us observe 70 seconds of silent mourning at 7 PM on 27th January 2014 in memory of our innocently slain compatriots.
Let this silence be common mourning, the silence of the shared pain felt for our compatriots.
By honoring the hundreds of thousands of innocent children, elderly, women and men let us express the unity and the resolve of our nation that the citizens of the free and democratic Hungary will not identify with any inhuman concept or ideology, nor with those, who committed unredeemable sins against their fellow citizens in the name of the Hungarian state during the course of our 20th century history.
I believe that the power of the shared silence of our silent respect will help us recognize the good in each other and to condemn evil together.
Áder János
President of the Republic of Hungary
Commemorative event of the Holocaust Memorial Center and the Hungarian Academy of Science
2014. January 27. 15:00 - 19:00
In 2005 the General Assembly of the UN declared 27 January, the day when Auschwitz-Birkenau, the most notorious of the Nazi extermination camps had been liberated in 1945, as the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. At this occasion, the Holocaust Memorial Center in cooperation with the Hungarian Academy of Science will organize a scientific commemorative meeting titled Hungary in the Shadow of the Tragedy. Opening of two periodic exhibitions will also take place on the day. Exceptionally, on this Monday, the permanent exhibition will also be open to the visitors.
| PROGRAM 3:00 pm – 3:20 pm Greetings and Opening Addresses Holocaust Remembrance Day Message by Orbán Viktor, Prime Minister Bence Rétvári, Parliamentary State Secretary, Ministry of Justice and Public Administration Musical Program: Ferenc Jávori 3:20 pm – 4:00 pm Hungary in the Shadow of the Tragedy - Commemorative Session Part I Opening by the chairman Dr. Pál Fodor, director, Hungarian Academy of Science, Research Center for the Humanities, Institute of History LECTURES Hungarian Royal Home Defense Forces until 1944 COL Dr. Vilmos Kovács, commandant, MoD Institute and Museum of Military History Transylvania and the Holocaust Dr. Zoltán Tibori Szabó, professor, University Babes-Bolyai 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Opening of Exhibitions Imre Holló Memorial Exhibition – Opening Dr. László Csorba, director, Hungarian National Museum; Commemorative Address by Lajos Erdélyi, Survivor of Auschwitz, photographer Ecclesiastical Rescuers Exhibition – Opening Dr. Szabolcs Szita, director, HDKE Commemorative Address István Makai, chairman, Roma Civic Association Musical Program: Ferenc Molnár Caramel – Jelenés 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm Hungary in the Shadow of the Tragedy - Commemorative Session Part II LECTURES Social Circumstances of Roma in the First Half of the 20th Century. The Road to Holocaust Dr. Ernő Kállai, scientific researcher, Hungarian Academy of Science, Center for Social Sciences, Institute for Minority Studies Catholics in the Spring of 1944 Dr. László Kiss-Rigó, bishop, the Diocese of Szeged-Csanád Jews in the Spring of 1944 Dr. György Haraszti, chairman of the board, HDKE Closing Remarks by Dr. Attila Pók, deputy director, Hungarian Academy of Science, Research Center for the Humanities, Institute of History Musical Program: Ferenc Molnár Caramel – Nézz a tükörbe 6:00 pm Homage and Commemoration at the Wall of the Victims Prayers by Dr. Slomó Köves, chief rabbi of EMIH O r g a n i s e r s Bolyai-Babes University Ferenc Gál College Ministry of Defense, Institute and Museum of Military History Ministry of Public Administration and Justice, Office of the Minister of State for Public Diplomacy and Relations Hungarian National Museum Hungarian Academy of Science, Research Center for the Humanities, Institute of History National University of Public Service Roma Civic Association The Diocese of Szeged-Csanád Lajos Erdélyi, Holocaust survivor, photographer; |
Ireland
The national Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration always takes place in Dublin on the last Sunday in January closest to 27 January. Other events take place to coincide with International Holocaust Memorial Day such special screenings, programmes and interviews on national television and radio, exhibitions, and the annual Holocaust Memorial Lecture which takes place in Trinity College Dublin approximately one week later.The national Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration attracts an audience of 700 people who come from all walks of Irish life. People from Government, the Arts, media, academia, religious leaders, ambassadors, First and Second Generation Holocaust survivors all attend.
The commemoration itself is a ceremony that is comprised of about 25 readings that include survivor recollections, extracts from the historical milestones in the Holocaust narrative (Evian, Kristallnacht, Ghettos, Wannsee, Murder, Liberation, Righteous etc). These readings are drawn from historical sources, biographies, diaries and from personal testimonies. Readers are come from all sectors of Irish society. A copy of the programme is attached.
A Scroll of Names is read by twelve teenage school students from four different schools from around Ireland. The names on the scroll include those who perished in the Holocaust who were cherished family members of people living in Ireland. There are 187 names currently on the list. One hundred school students attend the commemoration.
All of the victims of the Holocaust are recalled at the candle-lighting ceremony in which six candles are lit for the six million Jews who perished as well as candles for all of the other victim groups. The involvement of all of the victim groups is an inclusive element of this ceremony and contributes to raising awareness of the Holocaust. The national Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration in Ireland is a very dignified, moving occasion.
A special Holocaust Memorial Day booklet is produced by HETI for Holocaust Memorial Day each year, which is a highly educational resource used in schools and by the general public throughout the year. These publications are available on line: http://www.hetireland.org/
2014 is the 12th Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration to take place in Dublin. People travel from all over the country to attend it and it has maintained a full capacity audience of 700 persons every year. This event contributes to Ireland's commitment as a member of IHRA by raising awareness about the Holocaust on a national level.
The commemoration is generously supported by the Department of Justice and Equality, Dublin City Council, Dublin Maccabi Charitable Trust, Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, Sisters of Sion and the Council for Christians and Jews.
Press coverage of the event is available via this link and document.
Israel
23.1Next Generations Conference marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day - "Dorot- Next Generations to Holocaust and Heroism" organization are holding a conference in conjunction with the Ministry of Senior Citizens and Yad Vashem at ZOA House, Tel Aviv. The conference will be attended by the Minister of Senior Citizens, Uri Orbach, Knesset Speaker Mr. Yuli Edelstein, Yad Vashem Chairman of the Board Rabbi Meir Lau, and Director of the Yad Vashem Archives Dr. Haim Gertner.
26.1
Official Government Meeting to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 10:00
On Sunday, January 26, 2014 at 10:00 in the Hall of Names Yad Vashem will be presented a Certificate of Recognition by UNESCO marking the inclusion of the Pages of Testimony Memorial Collection in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
Taking place in advance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the presentation will begin in the Hall of Names on the Mount of Remembrance during which Dr. Dalit Atrakchi, Secretary General of the Israeli Commission for UNESCO will present Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev and Dr. Alexander Avram, Director of the Hall of Names at Yad Vashem with the Certificate of Recognition. Addresses in the Yad Vashem Synagogue will be made following the presentation of the certificate.
“For many Holocaust survivors and their families, Pages of Testimony are the only tangible evidence that their murdered loved ones once lived,” said Avner Shalev, Chairman of Yad Vashem. “The Nazis and their collaborators strove to murder each and every Jewish man, woman and child and to erase any vestige of their existence. These pages, together with information gathered from around the world as part of our names recovery efforts, restore to them their names – their identities. We will continue our efforts to bring the names and identities of the victims back from oblivion as long as we are able to do so. I urge anyone who has not yet submitted Pages of Testimony to do so now.”
Pages of Testimony are specially designed forms filled out in memory of Jews murdered in the Holocaust. Yad Vashem, which literally means ‘a memorial and a name’, has for the past 6 decades been working to recover the names and identities of the 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. Since 1954, Yad Vashem has been collecting Pages of Testimony from Holocaust survivors and those who remember the victims, so far documenting 2.6 million names on Pages of Testimony. Together with other documentation Yad Vashem has thus far identified by name 4.3 million out of the 6 million victims. The Pages of Testimony Memorial Collection is housed in the Hall of Names at Yad Vashem and has no precedent in history in both its dimensions and its intent to preserve the names as symbols of the victims' humanity.
Pages of Testimony are available in some 12 languages, and continue to be filled out by friends and family of the victims, as Yad Vashem continues the historic effort to record the names of the victims. The entire collection has been uploaded to the Yad Vashem website as part of the Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names and is available in English, Hebrew, Russian, German and Spanish.
UNESCO's Memory of the World Program raises to a global level the awareness and the imperative of preservation of, and access to, unique and irreplaceable documentary heritage in various parts of the world. The Memory of the World Register, founded in 1995, includes so far only 299 items worldwide endorsed by the Director-General of UNESCO.
27.1
- Largest ever Israeli Government Delegation to hold unprecedented International Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony in Auschwitz, Poland. 55 MKs, 6 Ministers, 24 Holocaust survivors, State Comptroller Joseph Shapira, Supreme Court Justice Elyakim Rubinstein, Chief Rabbi David Lau, Yad Vashem Chairman and IHRA Co-HoD Avner Shalev and some 250 other public figures are scheduled to arrive in Poland on January 27, 2014 – Holocaust Remembrance Day – for a one-day visit.
The largest delegation of MKs to be sent since the Israeli parliament`s establishment will be headed by Speaker Yuli-Yoel Edelstein and visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp while also holding an inter-parliamentary meeting titled, ”Reflections on Auschwitz: Remembering the past, looking to the future.”
- Official International Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony to be held at "Massuah".
Featured speakers: Prof. Yitzchak Kashti, Chairman; Ambassador Gideon Meir, MFA; MK Moshe Yaalon, Minister of Defence; Prof. Shlomo Breznitz, Haifa University; H.E. Dave Sharma, Australian Ambassador to Israel. To be followed by opening of exhibit "Jan Karski- Humanity's Hero", 10:00
- International Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony for Italian Nationals, Hall of Remembrance, Yad Vashem, 12:00
- "Keeping The Memory Alive" Poster Exhibition opening and ceremony, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem
- Cultural Program "Westerbork Seranade" to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Ghetto Fighter's House, 17:00 Speakers: Ambassador Caspar Veldkamp of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Mr. Ophir Pines-Paz, Chairman, Dr. Anat Livne, CEO
- Yad Vashem will be running the virtual memorial "I Remember" Wall on Facebook, as in previous years.
- Multiple film Screenings and Lectures marking the day will be held across the country.
- Additionally, Yad Vashem staff members will participate in conferences, seminars, exhibitions, ceremonies, lectures, and government meetings around the world to mark January 27th- including South Africa, Singapore, Vietnam, Ghana, Senegal, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Croatia, Denmark, Moldova, at UNESCO in France, Austria, Lichtenstein, the UK, Germany, Venezuala and Canada. Some of these trips are carried out in cooperation of the Combatting Antisemitism unit of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Italy
View a chart of the commemoration events taking place in Italy in 2014.Latvia
No information is available at this time.Lithuania
1. The Tolerance Centre of Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum in cooperation with the Embassy of Austria and International Commission for the Evaluation of the Crimes of Nazi and Soviet Occupation Regimes in Lithuania on 23rd January 2014 will organize an event for the International Day of Commemoration in honor of the victims of the Holocaust. The demonstration of the documentary film “Call me the Jew” (by Austria, Israel) will take place at the event.2. Poster exhibition "Keeping The Memory Alive" on the theme of Holocaust will be on the display in the Tolerance Center from the 23rd of January. For more information visit:www.jmuseum.lt
3. The International Commission for the Evaluation of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupation Regimes in Lithuania organizes the following commemorative events on the International Day of Commemoration in Honor of the Victims of the Holocaust :
- The traditional national conference for teachers and students for the fourth year in a row will be held in Radviliskis Vaizgantas Progymnasium on 27th January. This year the conference participants are going to present different student creations such as: video films, performances, pageant plays. The topics addressed in the creations: the Holocaust in Lithuania and in Europe; the history of the Jews in Lithuania; famous Lithuanian Jews and their destiny; rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust. More than 250 teachers and students from different schools of Lithuania are expected to participate in the commemoration.
- On the International Day of Commemoration in Honor of the Victims of the Holocaust a large number of schools will organize special lessons on the Holocaust, watch films, have discussions, meetings with the survivors and Jewish community members (exact numbers of the events will be reported after the 27th of January).
- As each year on January 27th school teachers will organize different educational activities. The most active are the schools which have The Tolerance Education Centres, established by the initiative of the International Commission ten years ago. Currently there is a network of 93 active Tolerance Education Centres. One of them is Radviliskis Vaizgantas Progymnasium Tolerance Education Centre which hosts the national conference for teachers and students annually.
Luxembourg
A commemoration will take place near the railway station of Luxembourg-Hollerich at the Deportation memorial.It is organized by the Prime Minister’s office, Centre de Documentation et de Recherche sur l’Enrôlement force, together with the Consistoire israélite. The Grand Rabbi will be attending together with representatives from other religious communities in Luxembourg. Representatives from the different political parties will attend.
It was in Strasbourg on 18th October 2002, that the assembly of the European Ministers of Education came back to a decision taken in Cracovia in October 2000 by the Permanent Conference of the European Education Ministers, as to organize a “Journée de la Mémoire, de l’Holocauste et de la prévention des crimes contre l’humanité.” After having considered the national practices and priorities, the date of the 10th October was accepted and retained, date of the anniversary of the 1941 referendum and “Journée de la Commémoration nationale”. The first “Journée de la Mémoire” got organized in 2003 and turned out to be a great success in general and technical secondary schools. Primary education was also involved in the initiative.
The date of commemoration, fixed on 10th October, however, was reported to the 27th January in accordance with a decision taken by the UN in November 2005 (42 plenary session). So schools will organize the “Day of remembrance of the Holocaust and prevention of crimes against humanity” on 27th January from 2007 onwards.
On and around this day schools organized film presentations, exhibitions, and conferences with survivors. Visits of memorials or historic sites, or trips to concentration camps such as Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen and Natzweiler-Struthof take place all over the school year.
As the previous years, the “Journée de la Mémoire” is organized by the person in charge of this dossier at the Ministry of Education. An event will take place on January 29th, 2014 on a national level in cooperation with the Memorial de la Shoah in Paris. The activities involve pupils of various secondary schools together with their teachers. This year the title of the activities is “Sport, sportifs et Jeux Olympiques dans l’Europe en guerre (1936-1948)”.
The Minister of Education addresses an invitation to the other members of the Government, to the delegates of the various commissions of the National Parliament, to the patriotic organizations and to people in the economic domain and different associations.
There is no website relative to the Commemoration of the 27th January.
Netherlands
No information is available at this time.Norway
2014 is the 200th anniversary celebration of Norway's constitution. Amongst many events during the year, The International Holocaust Day is one of the official events during this important year for all Norwegians. The reason for this is that the Paragraph 2 in the Constitution at that time stated that Jews and Jesuits were not admitted into the country.This coming January 27th, the Norwegian King Harald will attend the ceremony (see the enclosed program).
Background
Since 2002 the Holocaust Center has taken the responsibility - upon request from the Government - to organize the official Norwegian Memorial Day every year on January 27th.
The Memorial event always takes place at the Memorial to the deported Norwegian Jews. The program consists of a speech by one of the members of the Parliament, representatives of the Norwegian Jews and other groups who were killed or suffered during the Holocaust. Norwegian Jewish school children lit torches in commemoration of all the children who perished, and there are usually one or two artistic performances - either a song, a musical piece or a poem. The memorial event usually ends with the Jewish cantor at the synagogue singing the Kaddish.
Present at this ceremony and at the event which follows, are survivors, members of the Jewish community and the other participating groups, politicians, many ambassadors, representatives from many organizations, the general public and media - television, radio and newspapers. The coverage has been extraordinary broad and informative - before, during and after the Holocaust Day.
Year by year the importance of The International Day has grown in importance. A few years ago we realized that most Norwegian calendars now mention this day – which really proves to which extent this memorial day has become an important part of the Norwegian culture - honoring the Norwegian Jews and the other groups who suffered during the second World War.
For many years there have been memorial events in several other towns in Norway as well - see the link below which gives information about some of them. Likewise many schools around the country have organized speeches or other ways of informing the children about this day. Recently the new Norwegian government suggested to incorporate the International Holocaust Day into all Norwegian schools' curriculum - which will mean that it then will become an even more important national event.
http://holocaustdagen.no/
Poland
No information is available at this time.Romania
- 19-21 January 2014 - President Traian Basescu was on official visit to Israel. On 20 January 2014, in the Yad Vashem Memorial Museum, the following declaration was signed between the Presidential Administration and the Yad Vashem Institute:Declaration
Bearing in mind that the Holocaust challenged the foundations of human civilization and recalling our responsibility to fight the evils of xenophobia, racism and anti-Semitism,
Being fully aware of our obligations and responsibilities under international law including human rights and international humanitarian law,
Reaffirming Romania’s strong commitment to effectively implementing the recommendations of the International Commission on the Holocaust in Romania,
Being fully committed to doing our utmost for the prevention of recurring tendencies of racist, anti-Semitic, xenophobic, negative attitudes and behaviors, and to renewing our cooperation on education, research and remembrance of the Holocaust in order to build a more secure future for us all,
Reiterating that we must not wait for the number of victims of intolerance to reach extensive proportions in order to react,
Anticipating Romania’s assuming the Chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in 2016,
To this end we reaffirm and declare,
Our mutual commitment to optimally utilizing all existing tools and to developing practical mechanisms to monitor xenophobic threats and to implementing the recommendations of the International Commission on the Holocaust in Romania.
Our commitment to educating the youth and the wider public against menaces of all kinds of discrimination through formal and informal educational structures; to disseminating knowledge of these matters to those involved in government, non-governmental organizations, and the media; as well as to encouraging measures to mobilize civil society for Holocaust remembrance and education.
Our pledge to cooperate in our search for effective measures against discrimination with all members of the family of nations, in the relevant global and regional organizations as well as with non-governmental organizations, the media and with business and academic communities.
Our dedication to raising awareness among the newest political generations and civil servants in the national and local administration with respect to their responsibility to fight all forms of discrimination, especially those rooted in the reverberating Holocaust tragedy.
Our strong commitment to monitor and respond to the rise of Holocaust denial and combating the trivialization or relativization of the Holocaust, while encouraging political and public opinion leaders to stand up against such phenomena.
Our encouragement of a coherent and more effective approach to ensuring and extending access to relevant archives.
Our commitment to extending the education about the Holocaust in the curricula of our public education system and to encouraging the funding for the training of teachers and the development or procurement of the resources and materials required for such education.
Our commitment to including human rights education in the curricula of our educational system, believing strongly that international human rights law reflects important lessons from history, and that respect for human rights is essential to confronting and preventing all forms of racial, religious or ethnic discrimination, including anti-Semitism, Anti-Roma and anti-Sinti sentiment.
Romania’s pledge to continue commemoration of its National Day of Romanian Holocaust, October 9th, including preservation of national memorials and other sites of memory and martyrdom. Romania’s commitment to Holocaust remembrance is inspired by its existing Holocaust Museum Monument, a crucial indicator and a recognition of this reverberating tragedy, acknowledging the responsibility of the perpetrators and ensuring concern and compassion for the survivors.
Our support for building upon the present consensus at the level of authorities and civil society in Romania in setting up the project of a Museum presenting the history of Jewish heritage in Romania and of the Holocaust.
Our resolve to continue cooperation with "Ellie Wiesel" National Institute for the Study of Holocaust in Romania and other relevant Romanian or international institutes in order to gain broad support of appropriate remembrance efforts to record and preserve for posterity the testimony of the crimes committed and the humanitarian acts to the memory and warning for generations to come;
Our joint support for the work of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), in anticipation of Romania’s assuming the Chairmanship of the IHRA in 2016, emphasizing Israel’s pledge to assist that Chairmanship’s priorities to the IHRA: working with the media, consolidation of Holocaust education in member countries and beyond, promotion of academic research of Holocaust history and its aftermath.
Signed today, 20th of January 2014, in Jerusalem, in two copies, in English
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be issuing a press release with the following text:
On the 27th of January we bring homage to the memory of the Holocaust victims all over the world and we underline the significant efforts that Romania has made in the last interval of time in terms of assuming the past, condemning Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism.
These were and will continue to be commitments strictly followed by the Romanian authorities. The unveiling, in 2009, in Bucharest of the Holocaust memorial represents an important indicator of the steps Romania has undergone towards recognizing the Holocaust tragedy, acknowledging the responsibility of the perpetrators and ensuring the protection of the survivors.
In October 2013, Romania has presented, at the IHRA (International Holocaust and Remembrance Alliance) Plenary reunion in Toronto, its intention to take over the Chairmanship of this organisation in 2016. The general priorities of the Romanian Chairmanship include the consolidation of Holocaust education in participating states, the promotion of academic research on Holocaust history and of the cooperation between participating states in this field, the promotion of values such as combating anti-Semitism, xenophobia and racism through media partnership.
During the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Israel in December 2013, these commitments were reaffirmed along with the reiteration of the role of future cooperation with the national Institute for the Study of the Holocaust „Elie Wiesel”, other internal (Ministry of Education) or international institutions (Yad Vashem Institute) on Holocaust remembrance and on the developing of educational projects in this field as well as in the field of combating anti-Semitism and discrimination.
We welcome the progress made in the recent years and the development by numerous academic centres of a multitude of programmes of study on the Holocaust, and we are grateful to the Israeli community originating from Romania that has supported and made these developments possible.
These are essential components of the Romanian spiritual patrimony, whose preservation and continuity would not be possible without the historical and cultural support of the Romanian Jewish community.
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will launch, on the 28th of January 2014, Constantin Karadja’s book “The diplomatic and consular manual”, followed by the opening of the exhibition of diplomatic documents entitled “Constantin I. Karadja in the history of Romanian diplomacy”.
The diplomat Constantin I. Karadja( 1889-1950) was Romania’s candidate to the Council of Europe Raoul Wallenberg prize in 2013, awarded to personalities that have made a significant contribution to the rescue of Jews from Budapest, in 1944-1945, and was shortlisted for the prize. Romania has submitted the candidacy of to be awarded this distinction in memoriam.
While acting as Romanian consul in Berlin and director of the Consular Department within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the Romanian diplomat contributed to the return to Romania of 600 Jews from France and 51,537 Jews from Hungary, between 1931-1941 and 1941-1944, and thus precluded them from being deported to the concentration camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
- The Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania will organize, on the 22nd of January 2014, an ample event in commemoration of the pogrom carried out by the legionnaires in Bucharest on 21st – 23rd January 1941. The program includes the laying of wreaths in the Jewish cemetery in Bucharest and a seminar.
- The Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania will organize a series of events on the 27th of January:
- The launching of Adrian Nicolae Furtuna’s book “The true story of the Roma Holocaust. The Roma deportation to Trandniestria: testimonies, studies, documents,” a collection of numerous testimonies of the Roma Holocaust survivors, as well documents and studies on this topic;
- The exhibition “How was the Jewish Holocaust possible in Romania?”; 15 painters who participated in the workshop co-organized by Yad Vashem together with the Elie Wiesel Institute in 2013 will exhibit their works in the Bucharest Center of Visual Arts for 2 weeks;
- On the 16th – 24th of January the Institute will organize in partnership with the Bucharest National University of Arts a workshop on “The memory of the Holocaust in Romania”. Fourty first year university students will participate in this workshop that comprises seminars and meetings with researchers and historians in this field and Holocaust survivors as well as a creation training (photo below)
Serbia
Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Policy, competent authority of the Government of Serbia, responsible for the protection of military memorials and execution sites, as well as for the preservation of a dignified remembrance of the participants and victims of armed conflicts in the past, will mark the 69th anniversary of the liberation of the death camps in Auschwitz (January 27) as following: a state commemoration ceremony of paying the highest state and military honors, wreath laying and addressing of the President of the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Tomislav Nikolic, to the audience. The ceremony will take place at the monument to the victims of genocide in the Second World War, in the complex of the former death camp "Staro sajmiste" in New Belgrade, on 27 January 2014 at 11:00 a.m.In addition to the President, the commemoration ceremony will be attended by ministers and members of the Serbian government, representatives of the City of Belgrade, the survivors of the Holocaust, the representatives of the Association of Jewish Communities of Serbia, the Roma communities, the descendants of the victims, representatives of the diplomatic corps, numerous associations and citizens.
The same day, in the gallery of the Historical Archive of Belgrade, there will be an exhibition under the name of "Belgrade Jews: Life and the Holocaust." The exhibition will be followed by the publication of a remembrance book called the "Pomenik". In the Pomenik there are the names and basic information on 335 victims of whom for 161 of them there is no data in other historical sources. Before us, there are again members of the community doomed to complete disappearance, persons with their names, date of birth, address, occupation, family members, date of death. The Pomenik represents a victory over the planned oblivion; with it, the identity of a significant number of members of the Jewish community of Belgrade was restored. Due to the Pomenik, they have returned to their city and to our collective memory.
Due to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Development, on the 24 January 2014, in all primary and secondary schools in the Republic of Serbia there will be held traditional educational programs (classes, exhibitions, workshops, etc.) dedicated to the tragic historical phenomenon of the Holocaust.
The need to repeatedly remind about of the horrors of the Holocaust, as well as to reject as untrue the allegations that deny its character and the extent of suffering is present in all democratic countries. The necessity of knowing the facts and considering the horrific consequences of the Holocaust will contribute that in Serbia, as well as in other democratic countries, the mass killing of Jews during the Second World War will be perceived in the future as what its character and the scope is - one of the greatest crimes against humanity in the history.
Slovakia
No information is available at this time.Slovenia
View a chart of the commemoration events taking place in Slovenia in 2014.Spain
No information is available at this time.Sweden
All around the country of Sweden the day of the liberation of Auschwitz, the 27th of January, is commemorated. In several places around the country manifestations, seminars, educational projects, and commemoration events are arranged. The Living History Forum has a central role, as it has had for many years, in different ways stimulating and assisting the different organizers. Every year the Forum provide those who seeks a specific content of the arrangement with a theme for the memorial day and presents appropriate back ground material for it on the webb.The theme of 2014 Memorial Day
The theme of this year’s memorial day is the fate of the Romani people during the time of the Holocaust. This year 70 years has passed since the Zigeuner Nacht in Auschwitz. This was the night when all the still-alive Romani imprisoned in this part of the concentrations camp were killed. The Living History Forum has decided to dedicate this year’s memorial day to the commemoration of the Romani people, an almost forgotten victim group of the Nazi terror and persecutions.
Exhibition
The Living History Forum has produced an exhibition focusing on the Romani people during the time of the Holocaust. On the 27th of January this exhibition will be on view in Stockholm as well as in the cities of Karlstad, Borås, Västerås, Luleå och Göteborg. In Stockholm it is shown in the center of Stockholm on the Raoul Wallenberg square in connection with the annual official commemoration ceremony arranged on the 27th of January.
Umeå
In the city of Umeå, which has been appointed European Capital of Culture 2014, the Living History Forum, in partnership with the municipality of Umeå, has produced a specific program for all students of the ninth grade, during which the Holocaust Memorial Day will be in focus. Through films and different workshops with the Holocaust as its starting point, the students will work with issues related to the equal value of each and every human being, awareness of the importance of democracy and tolerance.
Switzerland
On the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the President of the Swiss Confederation, Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Burkhalter, delivers a written message. He also makes a statement in his capacity as Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, urging OSCE participating States to step up their efforts to combat anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance, and to raise awareness of the tragedy of the Holocaust, especially among young people.On 28 January 2014, the President of the Swiss Confederation visits the Auschwitz Memorial Site and Museum. Last year, Switzerland has provided the perpetual fund for the preservation of the Memorial Site with 1 million Euros.
Several activities or ceremonies are also organized in some cantons and schools. In Geneva the topic chosen is how Switzerland has been dealing with the Holocaust, whereas the memory of the Arameans is commemorated in Ticino. With Swiss and other supports, a ceremony is organized at the United Nations Office at Geneva.
United Kingdom
Holocaust Memorial Day TrustHolocaust Memorial Day has taken place in the UK since 2001. Since 2005 the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust has coordinated and promoted HMD in the UK. HMDT is a charity set up by the UK Government and funded by its Department for Communities & Local Government. In the UK, Holocaust Memorial Day commemorates the Holocaust, those who suffered under Nazi persecution, and in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
HMDT organises the UK national commemoration event for HMD, as well as promoting and supporting activities and projects in local communities, schools and other educational institutions. HMDT reaches tens of thousands of people. Over 2,000 activities took place across the UK for HMD 2013, with a fifth of these activities having audiences of more than 500 people. The HMD 2013 film Lessons Learnt was watched by over 85,000 people, and 2,758 people made an online pledge.
Theme for HMD 2014
The theme for UK Holocaust Memorial Day 2014 is Journeys. The theme reminds us that the Holocaust, and subsequent genocides, were characterised by forced journeys. On HMD 2014 we can learn how journeys themselves became part of genocide, and how the journeys undertaken were often experiences of persecution and terror for so many people who suffered in the Holocaust, under Nazi Persecution and in subsequent genocides. We can also learn about the life stories of journeys that brought survivors to the UK.
UK Commemoration Event
HMDT organises the annual HMD commemoration event for the UK. This is a formal ceremony, providing a national focus for HMD. The commemorative ceremony for HMD 2014 includes candle lightings, survivors’ testimony, music, prayer, speeches, and exhibitions. Participants in the ceremony will include Ephraim Mirvis, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth; Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP, Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government; and Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, Leader of the Opposition. Similar events will be held in the devolved nations (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) and Prime Minister Rt Hon David Cameron MP will be marking HMD shortly after the UK ceremony.
UK Public Event
HMDT is also organising a short public event for the 27 January. To reflect the 2014 theme Journeys, it will be held Kings Cross railway station in central London, which is one of Britain’s biggest transport hubs. It will provide an opportunity for engagement with the media and the public, with both a government minister and a Holocaust survivor in attendance. There will be a short commemoration, candle lighting, and the chance to connect with those travelling through the railway station, asking them to pledge to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day.
Activities across the UK
HMDT’s role includes providing support to local event organisers in commemorating HMD. In 2013 over 2,000 commemoration activities took place in the UK for HMD. HMDT produces a Activity pack for event organisers, and its website contains a wealth of resources and advice. Activities included classroom activities, exhibitions, civic ceremonies, speaker events, readings, performing arts, tree plantings and film screenings.
Online activity
HMDT is asking people to take part in an online action – to pledge to ‘take a step’ to commemorate HMD. HMDT has also commissioned a short film for HMD 2014. It will follow the theme of Journeys and feature stories from survivors of genocide. Over 85,000 people watched the online film for HMD 2013.
The Anne Frank Trust UK
The Anne Frank Trust has several copies of the exhibition Anne Frank, A History for Today which visits secondary schools and prisons, where students and prisoners are trained to be peer educators. A range of activities and workshops accompany the exhibitions.
It also has two touring exhibitions for public viewing, the larger exhibition Anne Frank and You and the photographic exhibition Anne Frank and Family.
For further information please see www.annefrank.org.uk
London
The Anne Frank Trust will be holding their annual lunch to mark Holocaust Memorial Day for London’s business community. Speakers will include BBC Director of News James Harding and Liliane Umubyeyi, survivor of the Rwandan genocide. The Anne Frank Award for Moral Courage will be awarded to Malala Yousafzai, and will be accepted by her father Ziauddin Yousafzai.
The Trust is holding the exhibition Anne Frank, A History for Today at Acton High School in west London, with students being trained as peer guides.
Her Majesty’s Prison Ford
Ford Open Prison has especially requested the Anne Frank, A History for Today exhibition for one week to coincide with Holocaust Memorial Day. Prisoners are being trained to act as exhibition peer guides.
North East England Region
Grace Dunne, Anne Frank Trust North East Region Manager, will be at Teesside University for their Holocaust Memorial Day event on Monday 27th. Anne Frank: A History for Today will be on display and university students will be trained as peer guides.
http://www.tees.ac.uk/sections/whats_on/events_details.cfm?event_id=6069
Grace Dunne will also be attending Newcastle's civic event on Sunday 26th.
From 20th - 31st January, the Anne Frank: A History for Today exhibition will be at Biddick Academy in Sunderland and form part of their week-long HMD programme, which involves all year groups hearing from speakers including Rwandan Genocide survivor Ali Hassan and Holocaust survivors Sylvia Hurst, George Lobel MBE and Dr Martin Stern.
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/10949201.Experts_gather_to_mark_Holocaust_Memorial_Day/?ref=var_0
East of England Region
Val Ross, Anne Frank Trust East of England Region Manager, will be guest speaker at the Huntingdonshire District Council HMD event on 27 January at 7:00pm.
The Trust will be showing their Anne Frank and Family photographic exhibition at the Forum in Norwich. Open to the public.
http://www.theforumnorwich.co.uk/events/anne-frank-and-family
The larger exhibition Anne Frank and You will be on show at Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire from 4 – 27 February.
Yorkshire and Humberside Region
The Trust is holding the exhibition Anne Frank, A History for Today at Laisterdyke College in Bradford, where students will be trained to be exhibition peer guides.
Scotland
The Trust will have copies of the exhibition Anne Frank, A History for Today at Castlemilk High School in Glasgow and Braes High School in Falkirk during the week commencing 27th January, with HMD related activities and workshops. Students at both schools will be trained as exhibition peer guides.
Guernsey, Channel Islands
The Trust is holding a three month tour of the exhibition Anne Frank, A History for Today in Guernsey secondary schools. Students are being trained as exhibition peer guides.
The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR)
The Association of Jewish Refugees’ Holocaust Memorial Day event will be on Tuesday 28 January 2014 at Belsize Square Synagogue, 51 Belsize Square, London, NW3 4HX.
The theme for HMD 2014 is 'Journeys’ and the AJR is very honored that the guest speaker will be Allan Noel-Baker, the grandson of Philip Noel-Baker, the MP who instigated the famous debate in Parliament of 21 November 1938 called in response to Kristallnacht, the Nazi pogrom that took place on 9 and 10 November 1938 throughout Germany and Austria. The debate concluded with the decision to create the Kindertransport through which some 10,000, mostly Jewish, children aged between 3-17 found refuge in Britain.
Rabbi Stuart Altshuler will lead the service, during which AJR members will light memorial candles and Kaddish will be recited. As well as AJR members we would be especially delighted to welcome the children and grandchildren of Holocaust refugees and survivors.
For those interested in seeing the service but unable to attend, the AJR is delighted that internet viewers can stream the service through the Belsize Square Synagogue website www.synagogue.org.uk – just click on the yellow BelsizeLIVE button at the top of the homepage.
University College London
UCL’s free public Lunch Hour Lectures on Tuesday 28 January is entitled “Oblivion and memorialisation: The legacies of Nazi persecution in Europe.”
The lecture is free and open to all on a first-come first-served basis and require no pre-booking. Lectures can also be watched live online at www.ucl.ac.uk/lhl/streamed or after the event at theYouTube channel www.youtube.com/UCLLHL.
Date: Tuesday 28 January, 1.15pm - 1.55pm
Venue: The Darwin Lecture Theatre, access via Malet Place, University College London, WC1E 6BT
Title: Oblivion and memorialisation: The legacies of Nazi persecution in Europe
Lecturer: Professor Mary Fulbrook, UCL German
Summary: Holocaust remembrance has attained an ever-greater place in the consciousness of people across Europe and around the world. But memorialization inevitably entails a selective focus and is accompanied by a marginalization and even erasure of other traces of a disturbing past. This lecture explores some of the diverse and complex legacies of Nazi persecution.
United States
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's annual commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day (IHRD) will take place on Friday, January 24, 2014 at 11:00 am in the Museum’s Hall of Remembrance. Ambassadors and other diplomats from embassies accredited to the United States have been invited to attend. In addition to remarks by Holocaust survivor Nesse Godin and a prayer of remembrance, the commemoration will feature brief remarks by Holocaust Museum director Sara Bloomfield, a moment of silence, a musical interlude of by a string quartet and a special ceremony in which invited ambassadors will light a candle of remembrance with a Holocaust survivor.Monday, January 27, 2014
The Path to Nazi Genocide
A 38 minute FILM will be screened on the half-hour (beginning at 10:30am) throughout the day in the Museum's Helena Rubinstein auditorium
Produced by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, this new resource examines the Nazis’ rise and consolidation of power in Germany, explores their ideology, propaganda, and persecution of Jews and other victims. Using rarely seen and amateur footage and Museum collections, the film outlines the path by which the Nazis and their collaborators led a state to war and to the murder of millions of people. Providing a concise overview of the Holocaust and those involved, this resource is intended to provoke reflection and discussion about the role of ordinary people, institutions, and nations between 1918 and 1945.
Visit with Holocaust Survivors
Visitors to the Museum on January 27th can speak with Holocaust survivors and ask questions about their experiences (Membership Desk, from 11 AM - 4 PM)
Names Reading Ceremony
Hall of Remembrance from 11 AM unitl 4:30 PM.
Visitors to the Museum are invited to participate in the ceremony, which involves reading aloud the names of victims of the Holocaust. Lists of names will be available in the Hall of Remembrance, or participants can read your own list of Holocaust victims. The allotted reading time is five minutes, with additional time available contingent upon the lines.
Monday, January 27, 2014, in Boca Raton, Florida
At its annual South Florida luncheon, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will commemorate IHRD with remarks by Judge Thomas Buergenthal, a former justice on the International Court of Justice in The Hague and a child survivor of Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
Observer Countries
Bulgaria
No information is available at this time.the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
No information is available at this time.Portugal
On the 27th the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will issue a statement.Because the date falls on a Monday when Members of Parliament are visiting their constituencies, the special session at the Parliament will be postponed to the 29th of January.
This commemorative session will take place right after the adjournment of the plenary session at 7.00pm, and it will include an exhibition by students from a secondary level school and a movie. It is being prepared by the office of the Speaker in collaboration with Memoshoá, an organization of the civil society.
Turkey
No information is available at this time.Uruguay
No information is available at this time.Permanent International Partners
Claims Conference
No information is available at this time.Council of Europe
Sunday 26 JanuaryWomen’s role in the Resistance
A personal account by a survivor, performance of a play, exhibitions of portraits of women and musical interludes are on the programme during this event, jointly organised by the European Centre which commemorates deported Resistance members and the Council of Europe.
European Youth Centre
30 rue Pierre de Coubertin - Strasbourg
Sunday 26 January from 2 to 6 pm
Programme (french)
Monday 27 January
Screening of creative documentary ''KARUSSEL'' in presence of the film’s director, Ilona Ziok, who will present the film.
This documentary tells the life story of the actor Kurt Gerron (who played in ''The Blue Angel'' opposite Marlene Dietrich) who was interned in the Theresienstadt camp. Gerron created a cabaret – Der Karrussel – in the camp.
This film reproduces the atmosphere of this cabaret with songs sung by todays stars (Ute Lemper, Max Raabe, Ben Becker for example) and so tells the story of Kurt Gerron and life in the Theresienstadt camp.
It has received many international documentary awards.
Screening room of the Council of Europe
at 12:30 french with english sub-titles
and 17:00 english with french sub-titles
Entrance free
This film received coproduction support from Eurimages, the Council of Europe’s European cinema support fund in 1997. It was made for SFB-ARTE
Screening languages: Original version (german/french/english) with English sub-titles
EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA)
No information is available at this time.OSCE/ODIHR
Janez Lenarčič, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), on today’s International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, stressed the importance of education about the Holocaust in ensuring the remembrance of the victims, as well in promoting a deeper understanding of the need to combat all forms of intolerance, including anti-Semitism.“The remembrance ceremonies taking place in many countries today are important opportunities for governments to speak out against anti-Semitism, and against intolerance and racism more broadly,” Lenarčič said. “Ensuring that teaching about the Holocaust is part of school curricula is an effective way for all OSCE participating States to raise awareness about these dangers.”
Citing information from civil society organizations contained in ODIHR’s annual report Hate Crimes in the OSCE Region: Incidents and Responses, he noted that the Holocaust continues to be referenced in anti-Semitic attacks and that Holocaust memorials had been vandalized in different parts of the region.
“We must ensure a powerful response to Holocaust denial and trivialization,” Lenarčič said. “We cannot allow the memory of the Holocaust to be used as a justification for, rather than a warning against, anti-Semitism.”
ODIHR provides assistance to governments in raising awareness about the Holocaust and its causes, notably anti-Semitism. Partnering with other intergovernmental organizations, including the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), ODIHR fosters multilateral co-operation and dialogue among governments and civil society on issues related to Holocaust education and remembrance.
“There is a lot that governments can learn from each other when it comes to promoting Holocaust remembrance, education and research,” said Dr. Mario Silva, Chairperson of the IHRA. “Each society may have its own specific history with regard to the Holocaust. At the same time, there is a shared commitment to remember the victims and the rescuers and to educate the younger generations about this unique event.”
ODIHR’s online publication Holocaust Memorial Days in the OSCE region (http://tandis.odihr.pl/hmd/) provides both general and country-specific summaries on the days chosen and the activities implemented on the occasion of Holocaust Memorial Days. It also contains information about efforts to commemorate the Roma and Sinti genocide on a special day, in some countries on 2 August.
UNESCO
All events at UNESCO Headquarters are available on this website.United Nations
The 2014 observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust is centered around the theme “Journeys through the Holocaust”. This theme recalls the various journeys taken during this dark period, from deportation to incarceration to freedom, and how this experience transformed the lives of those who endured it. These are stories of pain and suffering, yet ultimately also of triumph and renewal, serving as a guiding force for future generations.The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme & US Holocaust Memorial Museum Announce New Partnership
The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme is partnering with the United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum to make a new film resource and educational package available to
educators around the world in all United Nations official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.
The film, The Path to Nazi Genocide, was produced by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and subtitled by the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme. Together with an article and timeline on the Holocaust, the DVD will be distributed to the global network of United Nations Information Centres and teachers to assist them in introducing the Holocaust to students. Using rare footage, the film examines the Nazis’ rise and consolidation of power in Germany and explores their ideology, propaganda, and persecution of Jews and other victims. It also outlines the path by which the Nazis and their collaborators led a state to war and to the
murder of millions of people. By providing a concise overview of the Holocaust and those involved, this resource is intended to provoke reflection and discussion about the role of ordinary people, institutions and nations between 1918 and 1945.
To stream the DVD in the classroom in English and obtain additional educational resources, please visit www.ushmm.org. Educators may request a copy of the DVD with subtitles by writing to holocaustremembrance@un.org.
The film is intended for adult viewers, but selected segments may by appropriate for younger audience.
This film was made possible by generous support from Dr. Donald and Sue Hecht, the Bernice and Milton Stern Foundation, the Louis and Henrietta Blaustein Foundation and the May Family Endowment for Civic Responsibility.
Thursday, 23 January 2014
NGO Briefing
“The 70th Anniversary of the Deportation of the Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust”
Conference Room 2 (Conference Building)
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Contact: undpingo@un.org
In this briefing, the participants will learn how the German Security Police worked with Hungarian authorities to systematically deport Jews from Hungary in May of 1944. In less than two months, almost 440,000 Jews were deported. Most were sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau, German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945), but some were sent to the Hungarian border with Austria where they were forced to build fortification trenches. Speakers will include Dr. Carol Rittner RSM, Distinguished Professor of Holocaust & Genocide Studies, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey; Mrs. Annette Lantos, Chairman of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice and Hungarian Holocaust Survivor; and H.E. Mr. Csaba Kőrösi, Permanent Representative of Hungary to the United Nations. Dr. Rittner will provide the historical background, Mrs. Lantos will share her personal story of survival and Ambassador Csaba Kőrösi will provide information on how Hungary is commemorating this important anniversary. The briefing is open to all. Non-United Nations Grounds Pass holders must register.
Exhibit Opening (registration required to attend opening)
“A Remembrance of the Holocaust in Hungary: 70th Anniversary Exhibition”
First Floor (Conference Building)
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Contact: eszter@hacusa.org
This exhibition presents a historical account of the Holocaust in Hungary in observance of the 70th anniversary of the deportation and extermination of the Hungarian Jews. Partners include: the Permanent Mission of Hungary to the United Nations, Tom Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice; the Hungarian American Coalition; the Hungary Initiatives Foundation and the Carl Lutz Foundation. The exhibition will be available for viewing through 31January 2014.
Monday, 27 January 2014
Holocaust Memorial Ceremony
General Assembly Hall (North Lawn Building)
11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Contact: holocaustremembrance@un.org
Hosted by the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, this solemn ceremony is centred around the theme "Journeys through the Holocaust" and will feature a message from the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; and remarks by H.E. John W. Ashe, President of the 68th Session of the General Assembly;H.E. Ron Prosor, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations; H. E. Samantha Power, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations and Holocaust survivor Rena Finder. Filmmaker Steven Spielberg will deliver the keynote address. This year will mark the 20th anniversary of the USC Shoah Foundation Institute, which was founded by Mr. Spielberg following the filming of Schindler’s list. The USC Shoah Foundation Institute is a long-standing partner of the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme. Cantor Shmuel Barzilai of Vienna will recite the memorial prayers between musical interludes by the 92nd Street Y's Woodwind Quintet.
The Holocaust memorial ceremony is open to all but registration is required. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. When the GA Hall is full, guests will be seated in an overflow room with a monitor to view the ceremony.
Panel Discussion "The Rescue of Jews in Albania"
Venue: Conference Room 3 (Conference Building)
Time: 1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Contact: rsvpun@bnaibrith.org or 212-557-0019
In extraordinary contrast with much of the rest of Europe, Albania – a Muslim-majority nation occupied by Nazi Germany in 1943 and 1944 -- proved a place of refuge for virtually its entire Jewish population and others who sought haven there. In all, some 2,000 Jews were rescued from the Nazi genocide in this small country. This program will explore the circumstances and values that led Albanians to bravely save the lives of the innocent during the Holocaust. The event is organized by B’nai B’rith International and the Permanent Mission of Albania to the United Nations.
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Exhibit Opening (by invitation only)
“When You Listen to a Witness, You Become a Witness”
Dag Hammarskjold Library (First Basement)
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Contact: elir@bell.net
Produced by the March of the Living International, this exhibition documents the experiences of students while visiting the former Nazi concentration camps established in German-occupied Poland during the Second World War. Through photographs, personal stories and interactions with Holocaust survivors, viewers will learn about the horrors of the Holocaust and the lessons to be passed on to future generations. The exhibition will be available for viewing through February 2014.
Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Film Screening and Discussion “Blinky and Me”
Conference Room 2 (Conference Building)
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Contact: holocaustremembrance@un.org
This documentary film tells the life story of Yoram Gross, a Holocaust survivor and iconic Australian animator. Through discussions with his five grandchildren, Gross recounts his family’s experience in hiding and narrow escapes from the Nazis in Poland. The film follows the artist through his childhood there, to Israel and finally Australia where he settled with his wife to raise a family. His early work as an animator eventually led to the creation of the animated popular television series “The Adventures of Blinky Bill”, adapted from the children’s books by Dorothy Wall. In Mr. Gross’ animated series, many of Blinky’s encounters are based on Yoram’s own childhood experiences while running from the Nazis. This heartwarming film leads viewers to reflect on the human tragedy of the Holocaust, and the unrealized potential of those that were lost. H.E. Ms. Philippa Jane King, Deputy Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations and Under-Secretary-General Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal will open the film. A discussion with filmmaker Tomasz Magierski and Yoram Gross will follow the screening. The film screening is open to all.
View a complete list of all UN Holocaust Programme activities here.
Monday, 27 January, 2014
- Holocaust Memorial Ceremony
Venue: Temporary General Assembly Hall (North Lawn Building, UN HQ)
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Gates open at 9:45 a.m.
Contact: Holocaustremembrance@un.org
Hosted by the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, this solemn ceremony is centred around the theme “Journeys through the Holocaust” and will feature a message from the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; and remarks by H.E. Mr. John W. Ashe, President of the 68th Session of the General Assembly; H.E. Mr. Ron Prosor, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations; H. E. Ms. Samantha Power, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations and Holocaust survivor Rena Finder. Filmmaker Steven Spielberg will deliver the keynote address. This year will mark the 20th anniversary of the USC Shoah Foundation Institute, which was founded by Mr. Spielberg following the filming of Schindler’s list. The USC Shoah Foundation Institute is a long-standing partner of the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme. Cantor Shmuel Barzilai of Vienna will recite the memorial prayers between musical interludes by the 92nd Street Y's Woodwind Quintet. -
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited on 18 November 2013 the Auschwitz-Birkenau, German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945). Credit: UN Photo/Evan SchneiderResources :Introduction to the Holocaust
Horror at Auschwitz Formative in Defining United Nations, Secretary-General Says at Memorial Service, Expressing Determination to Prevent Similar Catastrophes
INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE ALLIANCE
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