International Holocaust Remembrance Day

By: Sarika Singodia, MSW Placement Student for the Office of EDID  

In 2005, the United Nations designated January 27 as the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. On this day, Canadians and people all over the world honor the more than six million Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution. This day also marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, which was a Nazi concentration camp in occupied Poland. On January 27, 1945, Soviet troops advanced on Auschwitz and liberated approximately 7000 prisoners.

It is estimated that 1.3 million people were sent to Auschwitz alone. Around 1.1 million of these prisoners were Jews, and the other 200,000 were non-Jewish Poles, Roma people, Soviet prisoners of war, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and those with disabilities. Around 1.1 million of the people sent to Auschwitz were murdered, including approximately 1 million Jews.

The horrors of the Holocaust took place from 1933 to 1945. It began with the persecution of German Jews by the Nazi Party led by Adolf Hitler, chancellor of Germany. Nazi Germany began invading neighbouring countries. The invasion of Poland in 1939 led Great Britain and France to declare war, which marked the beginning of World War II. Nazi Germany’s territory continued to expand across Europe, and by 1941, Nazi Germany and its collaborators began murdering Jews all over Europe.

Though antisemitism fueled the start of the Holocaust, it had already existed in Europe for centuries. And the Holocaust was not a secret. Many Europeans were aware that Jews were being persecuted, and many of them played a role in the violence and hate perpetuated against European Jews. Non-European nations, such as the United States, were aware Jews were being murdered. However many people outside of Europe did not believe it or understand the severity of the violence. Sadly, antisemitism still exists today, even in Canada. For this reason, Holocaust Remembrance Day also serves as a call to action for everyone to combat antisemitism and all forms of hate.

On Thursday, January 25 from 7:00 pm-8:30 pm, an International Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony will be held at Western’s Main Campus in the Mustang Lounge. For event details, please visit the following link: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/international-holocaust-remembrance-day-ceremony-tickets-800118444807 

To learn more about the Holocaust and the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, please visit the following links:

The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Museum in Poland: https://www.auschwitz.org/en/

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: https://www.ushmm.org/learn/learn-about-the-holocaust