The United Nations declared January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This was an effort to not only honor the millions of Jewish victims of the Holocaust, but to also ensure that any such genocides are not part of the future.
Over the years, I have watched movies and read some articles on the Holocaust and, this is a worthwhile observance that we ought to embrace to work towards a unified world that champions diversity.
The dictionary defines embracing as, "accept or support (a belief, theory, or change) willingly and enthusiastically." Using that definition, we can embrace the International Holocaust Remembrance day by not forgetting, educating ourselves, and being involved in making a difference.
Moshe Katsav, Israel's president from 2000 to 2007, put it best when he said "The Holocaust is not only a tragedy of the Jewish people, it is a failure of humanity as a whole." Humanity can't afford to fail again and thus we need to oppose inequity, hatred, and indifference. To achieve this, the task for us all in our everyday lives, is to be mindful and intentionally do more for our communities.
So as the eightieth year since the Holocaust happened is honored this year, I hope you will join me in learning more about the Holocaust so that together we can discover more about the importance of human rights and how to overcome the challenges around inclusion.
One way to actively honor Holocaust Remembrance Day, is by listening to survivor stories to edify yourself and taking in the lessons to assess yourself of any unconscious bias. You can also join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #HolocaustRemembranceDay to actively engage in the dialogue on how we can avoid contemporary day classism.
Below are some resources to get you started;
- Virtual Exhibition of Portraits of Holocaust survivors
- The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- United Nations Outreach Program on the Holocaust
- Stories of the Holocaust
We owe it to humanity to do better, to do our part. Happy reading!
