World Holocaust Victims Remembrance Day

When is World Holocaust Victims Remembrance Day?

World Holocaust Victims Remembrance Day is a holiday dedicated to both the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. It is a memorial celebrated every January 27^th. The holiday is also known as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, as well as the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust.

Remembering the Holocaust

The Holocaust is one of the most tragic and despicable sets of events in human history. It was a movement sparked by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis to target and kill certain groups of people, mainly Jews. The genocide started in Germany before World War II. As Nazi occupations expanded, so did the killings. It is estimated that more than 6 million Jews died in concentration camps. Millions of Roma gypsies were also killed. The annihilation targeted disabled individuals and homosexuals, too. Such killings eventually expanded to political and religious opponents of the Nazis.

Targeted individuals were sent to concentration camps across Europe. Auschwitz, located in Poland, was one of the worst during the Holocaust movement: over one million were killed here. On January 27, 1945, the Soviets took over the camp and shut it down.

History of the Holiday

Since the Holocaust movement was brought to light, it has been regarded as one of the worst events to ever occur in human history. Numerous memorials have been created to remember all of the victims. The Holocaust has spurred numerous museums as well. One of the most notable is the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, which was established in Washington, D.C. in 1995. Smaller museums have since opened in cities across the country with the same purpose: to never let anyone forget the Holocaust, and to serve as reminders about human rights.

An official holiday wasn’t created until 60 years after the end of World War II. In 2005, the United Nations sought to commemorate victims and survivors of the Holocaust. The General Assembly voted to create the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. January 27^th was the chosen date to commemorate the take-over of Auschwitz. The purpose of World Holocaust Victims Remembrance Day is to not only pay tribute to Holocaust victims, but to also raise awareness to prevent future cases of genocide. The holiday was officially observed in 2006.

Celebrating Human Rights

World Holocaust Victims Remembrance Day isn’t a federal holiday, so government offices and schools remain open. However, the holiday is widely recognized across the country, as well as many others. Since this holiday is a memorial, the events are often solemn. Survivors remember lost friends and loved ones, while celebrating the fact that they made it through the terrible events.

This holiday is also a celebration of human rights. While the genocide certainly can’t be reversed, the events can be served as reminders that some groups of people still don’t uphold universal human rights. We can learn from these tragic events to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again. A common symbol of World Holocaust Victims Remembrance Day is white roses with barbed wire.