January 27

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. According to Wikipedia, it was proclaimed a national day of commemoration on January 3, 1996 by Federal President Roman Herzog, but it wasn’t designated as a universal day of commemoration until November 1, 2005 under the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 60/7. The resolution officially established International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27. It was on January 27, 1945 when Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp, was liberated by Soviet troops. Every member nation of the U.N. is urged to honor the memory of the Holocaust victims. The resolution also supports any educational programs that are developed to teach people about Holocaust history in the hopes that they will help prevent future acts of genocide. It supports the preservation of Holocaust sites and the establishment of a 'U.N. outreach programme and civil society mobilization for Holocaust remembrance and education.' It also rejects the 'denial of the Holocaust as a historical event' and rebukes all signs or demonstrations of 'religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence' against any society or person based on their religion or ethnicity. Please take a moment of your time today to remember the victims of the Holocaust and their families.

For more information about the Holocaust and its memorials, search the library catalog, one of our many databases, or search multiple databases by category using MetaLib-Quick Search.