Jan 27 - The date is chosen to mark the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.
Jewish children arrive at Auschwitz death camp
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S E E D E D C O N T E N T
When is Holocaust Memorial Day?
The day is marked on the same day every year on January 27.
The date is chosen to mark the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.
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In 2005, the United Nations declared January 27 International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In the resolution, it is stated that every member of the UN should honor the six million Jews as well as those members of other minorities who perished in the Nazi genocide , and to develop educational programs about this history to help prevent such atrocities in the future. Dozens of commemorations are held around the world; speeches are made at the United Nations, in Washington, in Berlin, and in London. Institutions including Yad Vashem in Israel, the Mémorial de la Shoah in France, and the Bundesarchiv in Germany commemorate the victims. Any Auschwitz survivors able to travel to the camp are invited to participate in the very moving and solemn ceremony held on the grounds annually; In 2024, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum is presenting an exhibition featuring portraits and drawings created by former prisoners of the concentration camp. [1]
It seems self-evident that the Holocaust should be remembered in this way. As Christopher Browning has put it: “I believe that the Holocaust was a watershed event in human history—the most extreme case of genocide that has yet occurred. What distinguishes it from other genocides are two factors: first, the totality and scope of intent—that is, the goal of killing every last Jew, man, woman, and child, throughout the reach of the Nazi empire; and second, the means employed—namely, the harnessing of the administrative/bureaucratic and technological capacities of a modern nation-state and western scientific culture.” [2] Even so, the choice of January 27 is a relatively new phenomenon. How was the date chosen, and why is Auschwitz so important as a symbolic location?
Auschwitz was liberated by the Red Army on January 27, 1945, thanks to the massive Soviet military offensive near Kraków earlier that month. The Soviets did not know about the camp and rather stumbled upon it; as such, there was almost no press coverage of the liberation itself, and it went almost unnoticed. At the time, the world’s attention was focused on the military situation as well as the Yalta Conference during which US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill were deciding the outlines of postwar Europe.
The Soviets quickly began to piece together the truth. They learned that only days before their arrival, 65,000 prisoners had been forced by the SS on death marches to the west; around 7,000 prisoners remained in the main three camps of Auschwitz, Monowitz, and Birkenau. Most were emaciated living skeletons eking out an existence in excrement covered barracks; there were people scarred by medical experiments and others too weak to move. The Soviets set up two field hospitals with another brought in by the Red Cross, but for at least 500 inmates, the help came too late. The Soviets were also shocked to find more evidence of appalling Nazi crimes, including huge bags of human hair in large white sacks, 88 pounds of glasses, 44,000 pairs of shoes, thousands of Jewish prayer shawls, myriad cups and bowls, shaving brushes, and over 70,000 men’s suits along with dresses, underwear and baby clothes; they understood, too, that this was just a fraction of what the Nazis had already sorted and shipped to Germany. Soviet filmmakers staged a recreation of the liberation some weeks after the event, with shots of the gates opening along with the now-famous scenes of children dressed in concentration camp uniforms. But the film made little impact at the time, and news of the liberation and findings at the camp were largely ignored internationally. The world was not yet interested in Auschwitz, in part because they did not yet understand what it meant.
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photos from Library of Congress
Hungarian Jews arrive at Auschwitz
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Gen Eisenhower tours Nazi death camp
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Adolf Eichmann on trial
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statue of Anne Frank,
Amsterdam
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A group of men awaiting death in a gas van
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The Room / History Lessons
Now we know why our youth no longer knows about the Holocaust. It seems that the adults don't care anymore. How utterly depressing.
Since kids like movies and schools like to show movies, I would recommend that they watch Schindler’s List. It was extremely well down and powerful for a profound impact on viewers. It not only brings to life the massive atrocities that the holocaust was, but also show the extent of human cruelty. Kids like horror movies, well this one is a real horror show.
There were two tv minseries that were every good also
Holocaust 1978
War and Remembrance 1988
Schindler's List was an unforgettable movie, not only because it is pretty well a true story, but also is an exceptionally stark and unforgiving view of what was in fact a reality. When the movie had its first viewing in Toronto my wife and I went to see it. It was so powerful that the whole audience was so stunned by the time the movie ended that they, including ourselves, were frozen in our seats until the lights came on in the theatre after the credits were finished rolling. Never before or since have I ever seen a movie have that effect on an audience, which normally gets up and walks out when the credits start to roll.
But it may not be the ultimate movie teaching of the Holocaust.
From the internet:
Although I never got the opportunity to watch it, I understand that the ultimate Holocaust movie, which is actually a documentary, is "Shoah".
Shoah (IMDb) LINK ->
This documentary is almost 9 1/2 hours long. IMO, it should be shown to every student in the world, an hour of it a day over a two week period, and MAYBE George Santayana's prediction, which is obviously coming true, could be averted.
Thanks Buzz, I didn’t know about this documentary,
It might be too long and too deep and too graphic to show to students below university age, but if ever there were a college course on the Holocaust and related matters, required reading should be The Diary of Anne Frank and the viewing of Shoah required as well.
They know, or at least kids here do. It was part of my son's curriculum, and he graduated 2 years ago. He's the one who told me I should read The Book Thief.
It is taught in school, but that teaching is counteracted by what they see on the internet and social media.
That, unfortunately, is likely true.
On The View right now they are talking about how many young people today think that The Holocaust is a myth.
Hey even more depressing. I guess all my dead relatives, including 2 of my mother's brothers must be a myth, too.
I'm not sure what can turn this trend around, but hopefully there is something.
that is a disturbingly high number
Assuming that is true (not sure I am buying into that premise) it seems the disconnect is a recent thing. My kids are 35 and well aware the Holocaust is real. There is no doubt they will teach their kids about it also. Who is to blame for so many being so wrong? Are there any choices other than parents and schools? And if schools what level of schools? Who can fix it? Are there any choices other than parents and schools? And if schools what level of schools?
I dont really look into it, but I can imagine that on social media the topic is "bothsides- ed". The view that the Holocaust never happened is presented , by the nature of social media, as a real possibility. Eventually it become a mainstream belief for some.
I also have to wonder if the folks blaming Israel for the disaster in Gaza don't start buying into the holocaust being fake as a way to somehow bolster the position that Israel is the root of all evil.
It is very bewildering.
The numbers are also growing that 7 Oct was a false flag operation with US assistance.
To what degree will some stoop? This is so far off topic but speaks to how denial of the truth somehow gains traction.
Be responsible for your comments rather than quoting ‘the numbers’ with no intention of confirming their accuracy or credibility…only furthering the plague of misinformation.
I have no idea the number but see more reports today than yesterday:
“Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters says the world doesn’t really know “what actually happened” when Hamas unleashed their unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7, but he’s not convinced it wasn’t a “false flag operation.”
“There are those who provide a terrible answer: They allege that the Hamas attack was a false flag operation. The theorem rests on two legs: the false myth of Israeli military power and the infallibility of its intelligence; and a misconception of the relationship between cause and effect.”
“I have a one (sic), but very big question,” reads the X post from filmmaker Igor Lopatonok . “Location for that tragic music festival on the border of #Gaza was changed two days before event. 260 killed and 600-700 missing. For me, that all sounds like a biggest (sic) false flag operation to kill sacred victims and ignite a war."
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October 7 conspiracies spreading in U.S. - report
Israel behind the October 7 massacres, IDF kidnapping the hostages and other conspiracy theories on the Israel-Hamas war are gaining popularity online”
Rodger Waters is a despicable person and pretends that his antisemitism is covered by caring about the Palestinians.
“Roger Waters”?
Pretty, pretty, pretty shallow…but drink from whatever source one seeks if it quenches one’s thirst.
‘Comfortably numb’ ?
I have to agree with him about Waters. I've been following him for a long time now and I rank him right up there with Mel Gibson.
One of my favorites from the Workers Socialist Web site;
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On Friday, the New York Times published a report establishing conclusively that Israel was fully informed, in detail, of plans by Hamas to attack its border that were executed on October 7. These revelations make clear that Israeli officials, knowing full well where and how Hamas would strike, made a deliberate decision to stand down in order to facilitate the attack.
These revelations mean that the Israeli government allowed and abetted the killing of their own citizens and that the Israeli government is responsible for the deaths that took place that day. This criminal conspiracy was aimed at establishing a pretext for a long-planned genocide against the people of Gaza.”
Yea right, Water’s is the only source.
Indeed, he is from the English traditional school of antisemitism.
Oh, you don't have to tell me about that. I grew up between here and London, I got my fair share of it.
You could always google it yourself and only read the ones you feel might be from an acceptable source.
The only thing that surprises me is that anyone is surprised by this. We have people who still think the earth is flat, that the moon landing was faked, that Hillary was really running a child sex ring from a pizza parlor basement, in a building with no basement and Covid came from a wet market and not a lab.
Never underestimate the ignorance of you fellow humans, just when you think you have reached bottom some other idiot picks up a shovel and starts digging.