PURPOSE: The International Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed on 27 January marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and is meant to honor the holocaust victims. The purpose of the Day is two-fold: to serve as a date for official commemoration of the victims of the Nazi regime and to promote Holocaust education throughout the world. Holocaust remembrance and education that includes opportunities to develop a deeper appreciation of the victims and survivors and their agency, can inform our response to the plight of contemporary victims. Placing the victims and survivors in the centre of historical research, learning and remembrance illuminates the humanity of victims of atrocities today, and the impact of antisemitism fuelled by disinformation and the distortion of history. Focusing on the humanity of the victims prompts us to remember our humanity, and our responsibility to combat hate speech, combat antisemitism and prejudice - to do all we can to prevent genocide.
FORUM: “Holocaust remembrance and education for dignity and human rights.”. International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust 2025. 2025 marks 80 years since the end of the Second World War and the Holocaust. Eighty years ago, in response to the atrocities of the war and the Holocaust, governments of the world established the United Nations, pledging to work together to build a just world where human rights were enshrined, and all could live with dignity, in peace. Acknowledging the milestone year, the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme has chosen as its guiding theme for 2025, “Holocaust remembrance and education for dignity and human rights”. The theme will reflect on the critical relevance of Holocaust remembrance for the present, where the dignity and human rights of our fellow global citizens are under daily attack. The Holocaust shows what happens when hatred, dehumanization and apathy win. Its remembrance is a bulwark against the denigration of humanity, and a clarion call for collective action to ensure respect for dignity and human rights, and the international law that protects both. Holocaust remembrance safeguards the memories of survivors and their testament of life before the Holocaust – of vibrant communities, of traditions, of hopes and dreams, of loved ones who did not survive. Safeguarding the history brings dignity to those the Nazis and their collaborators sought to destroy. Remembrance of the Holocaust is a victory against the Nazis and their collaborators, and against all who would try to continue their legacy through spreading hatred, Holocaust distortion and denial into the 21st century. Share your reflections with the hashtags: #27January, #HolocaustRemembranceDay, #austwitz, #WeRemember, #HolocaustRemembrance
COMMEMORATIONS: on 27 January 2025, 11:00 a.m. EST will be held the annual Holocaust Memorial Ceremony central event organized in observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust 2025 at the United Nations General Assembly Hall. Survivors of the Holocaust will share their testimonies along with invited speakers who include the United Nations Secretary-General; the President of the 79th session of the General Assembly (through recorded message); the Permanent Representative of Israel and a representative of the Permanent Mission of the United States to the United Nations.. The Holocaust Memorial Ceremony will be hosted by Ms. Melissa Fleming, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications. Invited speakers include the Permanent Representative of Israel and the United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. Watch the commemorative ceremony!
Thursday, 23 January 2025 - Book Launch and Discussion with Professor Debórah Dwork, Author of Saints and Liars; Starting at 1:00 p.m. EST, United Nations Bookshop.
Saints and Liars is about Americans – Quakers, Unitarians, Jews – who travelled abroad to aid and, step by step, engaged in rescuing people targeted by Nazi Germany and other racist states. Their history illuminates the factors that trigger commitment and lays bare how rescue unfolded on the ground during the Holocaust. Zooming in on one city, one year, and one person or couple, Professor Dwork's work offers a microhistory that plumbs the key role of previously hidden factors. Saints and Liars prompts us to imagine history —all of history—as a time as full and rich as our own and reframes the way we think about, analyze, and write about the past. Register here | Read more
16 January – 21 February 2025; Exhibition: Holocaust Remembrance - A Commitment to Truth. At the Visitors' Lobby, United Nations Headquarters.
80 years after the Holocaust ended, Holocaust remembrance remains an imperative: a haunting reminder of what happens when prejudice is left unchallenged, and dignity and rights destroyed. Through the testimony of survivors and photographs, the exhibition provides an overview of the Holocaust, the antisemitism and other factors that facilitated it and the terrible atrocities perpetrated against victims of the Nazis and their racist collaborators. The exhibition illustrates the courage of victims to resist dehumanization.
Exhibition: Lest We Forget. At the Visitors' Lobby, United Nations Headquarters.
This exhibition provides glimpses of moments of kindness and compassion, of life enjoyed, and of the intimate connections that existed in Jewish families and communities before the Holocaust. The photographs stand as stark evidence of the deep and terrible loss and destruction wrought by the Nazis and their racist collaborators during the Holocaust, in their attempt to destroy all trace of Jewish life, tradition, communities, homes, families and individuals. The photographs reflect the humanity of the victims of the Holocaust, and underline the scale of the destruction of the Nazis and their racist collaborators. The photographs remind us of our common humanity, and our responsibility to defend the right of all to live with dignity and in peace.
Exhibition: Auschwitz - A Place on Earth. The Auschwitz Album. At the Visitors' Lobby, United Nations Headquarters.
This exhibition depicts the only known visual documentation - The Auschwitz Album - of the process leading to the mass murder perpetrated by the Nazis at Auschwitz Birkenau. The Auschwitz Album is a source of invaluable evidence, a silent and powerful rebuke against the people who created and ran the death camps. This exhibit is organized by Yad Vashem and endorsed by the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme and the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations. The exhibitions are free and open to the public. No registration is required. Please visit UN Exhibits for visitor instructions.
Wednesday, 29 January 2025 - Film Screening: UnBroken. Starting at 7:00 p.m. EST, Center for Jewish History, 15 W 16th Street, New York, NY 10011.
The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme together with the Center for Jewish History, will host the screening of the documentary UnBroken, followed by a panel discussion with the film's director, producer, and writer Beth Lane and her mother, Holocaust survivor, Ginger Lane, whose story of survival is featured in the film. In the film, Beth Lane embarks on an international quest to uncover answers about the plight of her mother and her mother’s six siblings who, as mere children, escaped Nazi Germany relying solely on their own youthful bravado and the kindness of German strangers. The screening of UnBroken is part of the Center for Jewish History's programming series Anne Frank in History and Memory and film series Holocaust History on Film: Anne Frank and Beyond in connection with Anne Frank The Exhibition. This screening is made possible by The Weber Family Arts Foundation. Register here | Read more.
Monday, 21 April 2025 - Presentation and Panel Discussion: Dedication. Starting at 6:30 p.m. EST, United Nations Headquarters.
The event comprises an educational presentation by Mr. Roger Peltzman about the Holocaust and its impact, and a panel discussion. Mr. Peltzman is a pianist, educator and son of a Holocaust survivor. His storytelling presentation recounts the experience of his uncle, a young pianist murdered during the Holocaust. His uncle's history inspired Mr. Peltzman to pursue music as a way to connect with his family history and cope with second-generation survivor trauma. The event highlights the courage of victims and survivors of the Holocaust, considers the challenges they faced after the Second World War, and how the Holocaust is understood and remembered by their children. Registration will open soon.
STATEMENTS: Statement of the United Nations Secretary-General on the International Holocaust Remembrance Service 2025.
The Holocaust commemorative and educational activities will draw attention to the actions taken by Holocaust survivors in the immediate years following the devastation and brutality of the Holocaust, to reclaim their rights, their history, their cultural heritage and traditions, and their dignity.
PODCASTS: For the 2025 Holocaust Remembrance and Education on January 27th, we will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz. Listen the audio-podcasts!
CAMPAIGN MATERIALS: “Holocaust remembrance and education for dignity and human rights.” is the slogan of this year;We are dedicated to keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive. Join the “We Remember” campaign and millions across the globe by raising your voice and shining a light on the dangers. Explore the poster and Get the communication materials!
WHY WE CELEBRATE IT?
Safeguarding the historical record, remembering the victims, challenging the distortion of history often expressed in contemporary antisemitism, are critical aspects of claiming justice after atrocity crimes. Each celebrations encompasses these concerns.
ACTIONS
The role played by institutions and individuals in supporting survivors, the long-reaching impact of the Holocaust on survivors’ families, and the impact of the Holocaust on the shaping of human rights policy and interventions will be explored.
PARTNERS
The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme is an expression of the unwavering commitment of the United Nations to promoting human rights, to countering antisemitism and racism, and to preventing future genocide.