This week on January 27th we commemorate the 1945 liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, a day designated by the United Nations in 2005 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. As we come together and reaffirm our commitment to Holocaust survivors and vigilance against hate, we must also make a global commitment to take action every day to widely disseminate knowledge of the Holocaust.

In the first weeks of this year, antisemitic symbols and language made their way into our social media threads, nightly news and daily discourse. World War II taught us in horrific fashion that unchecked, hateful rhetoric can lead to unspeakable terrors. Words of ignorance are the most dangerous.

Knowledge is the key to mitigating the ignorance of hatred. Whatever shape your remembrance takes – from institutional programs, to state and national events, and personal reflection – leveraging these important dates provides opportunity to educate the world, a keystone to the future of remembrance and ensuring a better future for coming generations.

The Claims Conference is participating and supporting several events this week to honor those lost and commemorate the Holocaust. Below is a list of information and links allowing you to register and participate in some of the many programs in which members of the Claims Conference family are participating. Please share these links and help us turn these commemorations into the widest possible opportunities for education.

Shabbat Shalom,
Greg Schneider (executive vice president)

 

The State of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli Ministry of Social Equality presents in commemoration of International Holocaust Memorial Day – Remembering, Perpetuating and Pursuing Justice

A joint event hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry for Social Equality. The commemoration will begin with an address by the President of Israel, Mr. Reuven Rivlin and conclude with a live broadcast from the Terezin Concentration Camp.

Featured speakers include, H.E. Reuven Rivlin, President of the State of Israel; H.E. Gabi Ashkenazi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel; H.E Milos Zeman, President of the Czech Republic; H.E. Itzik Shmuli, Minister of Welfare and Social Equality, Israel; H.E. Tomas Petricek, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic; Hon. Charles E. Schumer, US Senate Majority Leader; Hon. Nicola Beer, Vice President of the European Parliament; Amb. Colette Avital, Chairperson of the Center of Organization of Holocaust Survivors. There will be a live broadcast from the Terezin Concentration Camp featuring, Dr. Robert Rehak, Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues- MFA of the Czech Republic; Hon. Daniel Meron, Ambassador of Israel to the Czech Republic; MC Mr. Dan Kaner, and Musicians, Ms. Julia Rovinsky, Mr. Marsel Bergman. Music will include Music Dou from the Philharmonic. Our own Mr. Gideon Taylor, President of the Claims Conference will participate in this forum.

This event starts at 10:00 AM ET on Wednesday January 27. To join this event, please click here.
PaleyImpact: The Media’s Role in Combating Holocaust Denial, Misinformation and Antisemitism 

In partnership with the Paley Center for Media in New York, the Claims Conference will commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance day with an online panel — PaleyImpact: The Media’s Role in Combating Holocaust Denial, Misinformation and Antisemitism.

Maureen Reidy, Paley Center President and CEO, will provide opening comments. Discussion panelists include Sara Bloomfield, Director of the USHMM; Monika Bickert, Facebook Vice President of Content Policy; Martin Fletcher, Emmy award-winning journalist and author; Eva Schloss, Holocaust survivor and public speaker; Greg Schneider, Executive Vice President of the Claims Conference; and event moderator Emmy award-winning journalist, Paula Zahn.

This event will be available for viewing online Wednesday, January 27. For more information, please click here.
Jewish Community Relations Council’s Special Community Relations Corner Podcast

Join JCRC-NY for a special episode of the Community Relations Corner on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This episode will feature survivor testimonies from Lea and Jehuda Evron and an interview with Gideon Taylor, President of the Claims Conference and Chair of Operations at WJRO.

This event starts at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, January 27. To register for this event, please click here.
United Nations Memorial Ceremony marking the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust

The United Nations Department of Global Communications and UNESCO, in partnership with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance has organized a special event for International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The event will include remarks by the United Nations Secretary-General and the Director-General of UNESCO, as well as statements by high-level guests, a Holocaust survivor testimony and the memorial prayers.

Among others, the event will feature Holocaust survivor Marian Turski. Mr. Turski is a prominent journalist, scholar and activist, who has dedicated his life to advocating for Holocaust survivors and is a long-time member of the Claims Conference Negotiating Committee.

This event starts at 11:00 AM ET on Wednesday, January 27. To register for this event, please click here.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day event at the Bundestag (Federal Parliament) in Berlin, Germany

On the day of the liberation of Auschwitz, the German Bundestag commemorates Holocaust survivors in an annual hour of remembrance. This year, for the first time, Marina Weisband, a Jewish voice of the third generation after the Shoah, will speak alongside Holocaust survivor Dr. Charlotte Knobloch.

Surviving the Holocaust in hiding, Dr. Knobloch has dedicated her life to advocacy for her fellow Holocaust survivors. Dr. Knobloch is the President of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, Commissioner for Holocaust Memory of the World Jewish Congress. She also served as the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany and on the Claims Conference Board for many years.

This event will be held on Wednesday, January 27 at 11:00 AM MET. For more information about, please click here.
ZACHOR Series in Germany

To commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, as part of the ongoing ZACHOR series, Claims Conference Representative in Germany, Ruediger Mahlo will host a conversation with politician Marina Weisband about the importance of commemorating the Shoah 76 years after liberation, and the challenges Germany faces in the fight against anti-Semitism and Holocaust relativization.

This event is in German with English subtitles. To view, please click here.
Limmud FSU: In Memory of Baruch Shub: the Zionist Responses to the Holocaust

Limmud FSU will mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day with a special discussion on the connection between the Holocaust and Zionism.

There will be many distinguished speakers at this event, including Rabbi Israel Lau, Chairman of Yad Vashem;  Matthew Bronfman, Chairman of Limmud FSU; Isaac Herzog, Chairman of the Jewish Agency; Amb. Colette Avital, Chairperson of the Center Organizations of Holocaust Survivors in Israel; Rabbi Menachem HaCohen, Rabbi of the Moshavim Movement; and Gideon Taylor, President of the Claims Conference along with many others.

This event will start at 10:00 AM EST on Tuesday, January 26. To participate in this event, you can join using the following information:

Link: http://shorturl.at/dozBT
Access code: 023546