Council of Europe’s Post

January 27 of every year is designated by the United Nations General Assembly as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in honor of the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is a day to commemorate and remember the millions of victims of the Holocaust. January 27, 2025 will be the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz. Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest of more than 40 concentration camps in Germany run by the Nazis. It became the largest of the extermination centers where the "Endlösung der Judenfrage" (the final solution to the Jewish question - the Nazi plan to murder European Jews) was carried out. Approximately one million people were murdered there. In addition to Jews, Poles, Roma and Sinti, and Soviet POWs, about 25,000 prisoners of other nationalities were imprisoned and murdered in Auschwitz. The research on the stories and information of these other nationality groups is still in progress, and the statistics about them should therefore be treated as fragmentary, conservative estimates based on a limited number of cases. For more information, visit https://lnkd.in/eiRebgd #USFN

Please do not scroll past this without giving a few moments of thought Do you feel anything? Is it important beyond historical fact? How can You take one action to ensure this does not or is not happening again? Because it is. We ARE NOT Powerless. I am reposting the message below. And I fight antisemitism in every context and on every platform. What can You do Now, Today to make a difference? Read up Speak out Support the organizations 👇👇 https://lnkd.in/ethTzY3c #NeverForget #NeverAgain

Today, on #HolocaustRemembranceDay, we pause to honor the memory of the six million Jewish men, women, and children, the hundreds of thousands of Roma, and the countless others who were victims of the Holocaust. This year holds particular significance as we mark 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, a place that has become a universal symbol of the depths of human cruelty, but also of resilience and survival. As we reflect on this dark chapter in European and world history, we must recognize the profound responsibility we bear: to ensure that these atrocities are never forgotten and never repeated. Memory is not passive—it is an active commitment. It compels us to educate future generations about the past, to confront hatred and intolerance in all its forms, and to uphold the values of human dignity and respect that the Holocaust sought to destroy. For me, this day is a reminder that history is not just a series of events, but a call to action. Each of us has a role to play in preserving the lessons of the Holocaust. Whether through education, dialogue, or simply standing against injustice in our daily lives, we can contribute to building a world where such horrors are unimaginable. #WeRemember because the fight against antisemitism, racism, and all forms of hatred continues and we remember because it is our shared duty to honor the victims by building a future rooted in hope, compassion, and humanity.

Today, on the 80th International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we solemnly honor the memory of the six million Jews who were systematically persecuted and murdered by the Nazi regime during World War II. This day, designated by the United Nations General Assembly to coincide with the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau on January 27, 1945, serves as a global reminder of the atrocities committed and the enduring need to combat antisemitism and hatred in all forms. The Holocaust, or Shoah, was a state-sponsored, systematic genocide that led to the annihilation of approximately six million Jews, representing about two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population at the time. In addition to Jewish victims, millions of others—including Romani people, disabled individuals, political prisoners, and various minority groups—were also targeted and killed under Nazi persecution. The liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau by Soviet forces on January 27, 1945, marked a pivotal moment in history, revealing the full extent of Nazi brutality to the world. Today, as we commemorate this 80th anniversary, world leaders, survivors, and communities worldwide gather to reflect on the horrors of the Holocaust and to reaffirm our collective commitment to ensuring that such atrocities never happen again. As the number of Holocaust survivors dwindles, it becomes increasingly vital to preserve their testimonies and educate future generations about this dark chapter in human history. Innovative approaches, such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence, are being utilized to immortalize survivors’ stories, ensuring that their experiences continue to teach and remind us of the consequences of unchecked hatred. On this solemn day, we not only remember the victims but also reflect on the importance of confronting antisemitism, bigotry, and intolerance wherever they arise. By honoring the memory of those who perished and by learning from the past, we strive to build a future where such atrocities are never repeated.

In my last post, I characterized the killing of 10,000+ children in Gaza as a holocaust perpetrated by Israel. My use of the term “holocaust” does NOT mean I believe Israel is like Nazi Germany though I can see now how my use of that word can make it sound that way. I want to make clear that Nazi Germany and Israel are NOT the same thing in terms of the scale and intent of the violence perpetrated by their respective governments, nor in any other way. The Germany of WWII intended to commit genocide against all Jewish people. In my opinion, Israel’s intention is NOT to commit genocide against anyone, but rather to inflict a war of self defense and revenge against Hamas, who attacked Israel on October 7th. However, Israel’s lack of sufficient concern for innocent civilian casualties DOES mean that large numbers of innocent people, including 10,000+ children alone, have been and will continue to be killed in Gaza by Israeli forces. When you don’t care enough if innocent people die as a result of your war policy, the end result is mass death for noncombatants. And that cannot be allowed to stand unaddressed. Self defense is a right of every individual and every state, but as I wrote in an earlier post, that right cannot be expressed without due regard to protecting innocent lives. Israel has a lot of work to do in this regard.

Today marks the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the #Holocaust and we remember all those targeted and exterminated by the Nazis.   To this day, the losses, pain, and resistance of the Roma and Sinti victims and survivors of Samudaripen/Porrajmos and WWII have not yet been fully documented, archived, or remembered; nor have they been thoroughly integrated in our textbooks, collective historical consciousness, and mainstream sites of memory. In recent decades, Roma communities, leaders, civil society organizations and scholars, as well as their allies, have called for increased awareness about the history of the Roma and Sinti victims of the Holocaust. To learn more, read the report published by the Auschwitz Institute for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities and the François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights. It explores the issues of truth-telling, memory, and the path forward: http://bit.ly/3vVmrPn More information about #HolocaustRememberanceDay: https://lnkd.in/enZNrS83 Maria Atanasova

Today is Holocaust Remembrance day marking 80 years since Soviet forces forces "liberated" Auschwitz. There were not many left to liberate. Only 7000 inmates survived of the 1.3 million that had entered the camp between 1942 and 1944. What I want to share is that today more and more Jews are viscerally afraid. Almost everywhere in the world, Jews experience more fear than they did 5 years ago. Fear of being ostracized. Fear of being discriminated against. Fear of being physically harmed. Fear of being killed. To be a Jewish parent today means instilling your child with Jewish pride while simultaneously explaining the do's and don'ts of expressing that pride. It is sad and it is exhausting. I don't have all the answers. Two things that I'm pretty sure would help. First, our educational, political, business and religious leaders need to be much louder in standing by Jews and other minorities. Second, we need to defend constitutional human rights, rule of law and an independent judiciary with every ounce of strength that we have.

Today marks 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz. We honour the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, as well as all those who suffered under the Nazis and in genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur. These atrocities remind us of the importance of building a future free from hatred and division. #HMD2025