Holocaust Remembrance Day

“The horror of the extermination of millions of Jewish people and others of different faiths during those years must never be forgotten or denied.”- Pope Francis. The Holocaust is arguably one the darkest chapters in human history. The horrors and atrocities committed against the Jews during the 1940’s were unspeakable. Oftentimes, we speak of the terror of the Holocaust; however, we must also acknowledge the heroism of many who risked their own lives to save the lives of many Jews. January 27, 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Birkenau German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp by Soviet troops. Over one million people were murdered in this vast complex alone, most of them Jews. The date also commemorates the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) each year joins the international community in paying tribute to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and reaffirms its unwavering commitment to counter anti-Semitism, racism, and other forms of intolerance that may lead to group-targeted violence. The Holocaust (The Shoah in Hebrew) was the attempt by the Nazis and their collaborators to murder all the Jews in Europe. From the time they assumed power in Germany in 1933, the Nazis used propaganda, persecution, and legislation to deny human and civil rights to German Jews. They used centuries of anti-Semitism (anti-Jewish hatred) as their foundation. With the outbreak of World War Two in 1939 Germany invaded Poland, subjecting around 2 million Polish Jews to violence and forced labour. Thousands of Jews were murdered in the first months of the occupation. Shortly after the occupation Polish Jews were confined to particular neighbourhoods that came to be known as ‘ghettos’. Living conditions in these ghettos were appalling and subhuman. This was a deliberate attempt by the Nazis to cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Jews. This inhumane approach was repeated across Eastern Europe in other countries occupied by the Nazis. The Nazis persecuted Roma before and during the Second World War. In the genocide carried out during the war, the Nazis murdered at least 200,000 and as many as 500,000 Roma people. This event is referred to as the Roma Genocide, the Porrajmos, or the Samudaripen. In post-war Europe, Roma continued to face widespread prejudice. Dignity and Human Rights. The theme for Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2025 is "Holocaust Remembrance for Dignity and Human Rights. The concept of human dignity is the belief that all people hold a special value that is associated solely to their humanity. Human dignity has nothing to do with their class, race, gender, religion, abilities, or any other factor other than them being human. Human dignity justifies human rights. When people are divided and given a value based on characteristics like class, gender, religion, and so on, it creates unequal societies where discrimination runs rampant. People assigned a higher value get preferential treatment. Globally, we have been witnessing a rise in the erosion of human rights and dignity. Regrettably, this erosion is very prevalent in the workplace and other public spaces where the views and opinions of some individuals are being stifled. Although we live in a world where discrimination is extensive, racism and hatred do not always lead to genocide. The Rise of Far- Right Violence . Globally, right-wing extremist ideas and groups are posing a grave threat to democratic societies. The far right today is diverse, decentralized, and presents a threat to many groups and governments around the world. The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) refers to right-wing terrorism as “the use of terrorist violence by right-wing extremists to facilitate their political or ideological goals” (Europol, 2022). Former New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Arden states, “there is no question that ideas and language of division and hate have existed for decades, but their form of distribution, the tools of organization they are new.” With the rising trend in right-wing extremism, U.S. federal and local agencies need to shift some of their focus and intelligence resources to penetrating far-right networks and preventing future attacks. Right-wing terrorism commonly refers to the use or threat of violence by sub-national or non-state entities whose goals may include racial, ethnic, or religious supremacy; opposition to government authority. There have been so many examples of ethnically motivated violence in recent world history. In 2011, 77 died in a series of attacks by a lone right-wing extremist in Norway and the island of Utoya. In 2015, nine Black people were murdered in the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina. In March 2019, 51 died in the attack on the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand. Genocide. All genocides begin with insidious stages including propaganda, ‘othering’ and dehumanization. According to Professor Gregory Stanton, genocide is a process that develops in ten stages that are predictable, but not inexorable. At each stage, preventive measures can stop it. The later stages must be preceded by the earlier stages, though earlier stages continue to operate throughout the process. The ten stages of genocide are: classification, symbolization, discrimination, dehumanization, organization, polarization, preparation, persecution, extermination, and denial. Holocaust distortion, denial and trivialization are all increasing. Holocaust denial is any attempt to deny the Holocaust happened, whilst Holocaust distortion is where the Holocaust is acknowledged to have happened, but the extent or nature of the Holocaust is questioned, minimized, trivialized or even inverted – for example, where Jews today are likened to Nazis. Holocaust denial and distortion are both forms of anti-Semitism (anti-Jewish hatred) and should be confronted. Remembering, discussing and learning about the Holocaust is important not only because it helps us gain a better understanding of the past, but because it also raises awareness about contemporary forms of anti-Semitism, xenophobia and hatred. Genocide cannot be committed by an individual or small group; rather, it takes the cooperation of a large number of people and the state. The world must never be comfortable with the normalization of prejudice and discrimination. It is only by being aware of the stages of genocide, citizens are better equipped to identify the warning signs and stop the process from continuing. We all can observe International Holocaust Remembrance Day by sharing the truth regarding the Holocaust. In the words of António Guterres, United Nations Secretary General, the history of the Holocaust is one of total moral collapse, dehumanization, complicity, and unimaginable atrocities. But amidst all the horror, there are also stories of humanity, and of courage. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #HolocaustRemembranceDay