About Holocaust Memorial Day
International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust is commemorated on January 27th each year.
January 27th is the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp in 1945 when 7,000 prisoners of the German Nazi camp were liberated by the soldiers of the Soviet Army.
Sixty years later, to acknowledge the anniversary, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution declaring January 27th to be International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The resolution “urges member states to develop educational programs that will inculcate future generations with the lessons of the Holocaust in order to help to prevent future acts of genocide,” according to its text.
The Nazis murdered over 6 million Jews, and millions of others, including Roma, Poles, Jehovah’s Witnesses, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities and more. Today people around the world are paying tribute to victims and survivors of the Holocaust.
At 8pm local time, get ready to 'Light the Darkness'. Households across the world will be lighting candles and safely putting them in their windows to:
- remember those who were murdered for who they were
- stand against prejudice and hatred today
Light a candle and put it in your window at 8pm on 27 January (if you are able to do so safely).
Whether you are Jewish or not, you can also observe the day by visiting or donating to a Holocaust Museum or listening to reflections and testimonies of survivors through the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website.
Note: Many in the U.S. also observe Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) in April, to commemorate the lives and heroism of all those who died during World War II.
