Marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2022
This Thursday, the United Nations will commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which was established in 2005 to mark the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau on 27 January, 1945. The UN selects a different theme every year for Holocaust Remembrance Day; this year’s is “Memory, Dignity and Justice,” with special attention to the historical record and accurate remembrance of Holocaust atrocities, as well as challenging misinformation and antisemitism. The UN will hold a variety of events to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day—keep reading to learn about some you can attend online.
The United Nations Holocaust Memorial Ceremony marks the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. This year’s ceremony will be hosted by Melissa Fleming, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, with invited speakers such as the Secretary-General, the General Assembly President, and the Permanent Representatives of Israel and the United States, as well as several Holocaust survivors and their family members. In addition to testimonies and speeches, memorial prayers will be recited to honor and remember Holocaust victims and survivors. This annual commemoration ceremony will be live-streamed worldwide through UN Web TV at 11am EST on Thursday, January 27.
In addition to the main commemoration ceremony, the United Nations will host numerous other events to explore and remember the Holocaust, its victims and survivors, and their experiences. Earlier in the day, UNESCO will host an online roundtable discussion in partnership with the Musée d’art et d’histoire de Judaïsme (MAHJ) highlighting the work and legacy of Jewish artists before and during World War II. This roundtable will center its discussion on the lives and legacy of writer and journalist Hersh Fenster and the 84 Jewish artists represented in his book, “Our Martyr Artists.” The event will be broadcast in English and French on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Also that morning, the United Nations Chamber Music Society will host a virtual concert dedicated to the memory of Holocaust victims. The concert will be live-streamed through the UN Web TV and YouTube and will feature the classical works of Jewish composers, performances from musicians from Daniel Barenboim’s West–Eastern Divan Orchestra, and artwork by Roy Nachum.
Next week, the civil society briefing “The Future of Memory: Holocaust Remembrance, History and New Media” will examine how memories of the Holocaust are told and kept alive through the media, as well as how media platforms could potentially affect Holocaust history in the long run. This program will be held on February 3 and will include a discussion about antisemitism, Holocaust denial, and other identity-based hatred.
For film lovers, on February 10 there will be a virtual film discussion of The Last Survivors, directed by Arthur Cary. The film will be made available for viewing prior to the discussion and includes testimonies from the remaining survivors living in Britain today as they reflect on how their childhood experiences of trauma have affected and continue to influence their lives today.