International Holocaust Remembrance Day During COVID: Honoring Victims and Survivors

January 27 was International Holocaust Remembrance Day—a time to reflect on the millions of lives lost in the Holocaust and honor its survivors. First observed in 2005, this day of remembrance commemorates the date when Allied soldiers liberated the Auschwitz death camp, where 1.1 million Jews, LGBTQ people and political dissidents were murdered more than 75 years ago.

At VNSNY, we honor the six million lives that were taken during the Holocaust by celebrating the diversity of our workforce and the people we serve.  Our diversity is our strength, and we must uphold our commitment to never forget the six million lives lost—not only on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but every day.

Around the world, the challenge of recognizing International Holocaust Remembrance Day in the midst of a pandemic led to adjusting plans and finding creative ways to honor the victims. In the health care arena, hundreds of elderly Holocaust survivors in Austria and Slovakia received their first doses of COVID-19 vaccine at drives organized by medical professionals.  At the Vatican, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of remembering the atrocities that took place during the Holocaust, calling it “a sign of humanity and a condition for a peaceful future.”  And on the home front, President Biden released a statement stressing the importance of preventing future genocides by passing “the history of the Holocaust on to our grandchildren and their grandchildren in order to keep real the promise of ‘never again.’”

With the United States still reeling from the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol Building, images of a domestic terrorist wearing a “Camp Auschwitz” shirt remind us that anti-Semitism is still very much a  problem nearly eight decades later. Social media sites are inundated with vile content from Holocaust deniers and white supremacists; and just last week, two Hasidic men were attacked in Brooklyn and two prominent universities reported Swastika vandalism.

By taking the time to remember and reflect, we send a message that hate will not win.