January 27 marks the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. The day was designed by way of a UN General Assembly resolution adopted on November 1, 2005. The date designated for this Holocaust Remembrance Day is no coincidence. On January 27, 1945, Soviet troops liberated the biggest Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau in the then occupied Poland. At that concentration camp, over a million men, women and children were killed in the most heinous of ways.
The official theme for 2021 is “Facing the Aftermath: Recovery and Reconstitution after the Holocaust.” As the UN notes, this year’s commemoration “focuses on the measures taken in the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust to begin the process of recovery and reconstitution of individuals, community, and systems of justice. Integral to the process of reconstitution was the accurate recording of the historical account of what happened before and during the Holocaust. Challenging the denial and distortion of the historical events was interwoven in the processes of recovery and reconstitution. The theme examines the contribution of the responses to the victims of the Holocaust, and of the survivors, to addressing the needs of the contemporary world, and to the historical record of the Holocaust.”
Remembering victims of the Holocaust and of the Nazi atrocities is important. Yet, it is also important to ensure that the memory of the atrocities is used to help prevent the commission of further mass crimes, genocides and crimes against humanity. This is the goal of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, a charity established and funded by the UK Government to promote and support Holocaust Memorial Day in the UK. This year, to mark the day, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust launched a campaign “Be The Light In The Darkness”, calling for us to mark the day by lighting a candle. With the initiative, the organizers aim to encourage everyone to reflect on “the dark depths humanity can sink to, but also the ways individuals and communities resisted that darkness to ‘be the light’ before, during and after genocide.” The initiative also incorporates a photography competition for young people.
The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust urges us to “recognize that the responsibility for genocide education and prevention does not lie only with survivors sharing their testimony. Their experiences hold lessons for all of us and it is vital that we listen to their experiences and become witnesses for them. As distortions and denial increase, facing the extent and nature of the crimes committed to reveal the truth of genocide and genocidal regimes is more important than ever.”
Indeed, we must all play our role and share in the burden carried by the victims and survivors of genocide and other mass atrocities. Over the years we have seen survivors raise awareness of the atrocities they endure, fighting for justice on behalf of their communities. In order to do so, they have to relive the atrocities, relive the pain and suffering inflicted upon them, and relive the ignorance of the international community that allowed these atrocities to happen. Only in the last few years, we have been witnessing several instances of mass atrocities meeting the legal definition of genocide, including those perpetrated by Daesh against the Yazidis, Christians and others; by the Myanmar military against the Rohingyas; by Boko Haram and Fulani militia against Christians in Nigeria; and, by the Chinese Community Party against the Uyghurs. We must stand united with them and show that they are not alone. We must be the light in their darkness.
As we mark the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, we must reflect and strive to ensure that we provide better assistance to survivors to maximize their voices and impact. Inaction cannot be justified anymore.
"light" - Google News
January 27, 2021 at 04:03AM
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On This Holocaust Memorial Day Be The Light In The Darkness - Forbes
"light" - Google News
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