Health & Fitness
Holocaust Remembrance
It is not enough to merely remember the atrocities of the Holocaust. What lessons can and must be learned?
In 2005, the UN General Assembly declared an International Holocaust Remembrance Day. They selected January 27th, because it was the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. On this annual day of commemoration, every member state of the UN has an obligation to honor the victims of the Nazi era and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides.
In the United States, and many other nations, we commemorate the Holocaust on Yom Hashoach (the Day of Remembrance), this year on April 19, 2012. Observances and remembrance activities can occur during the week of Remembrance that runs from the Sunday before Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah) through the following Sunday. Days of Remembrance are observed by state and local governments, military bases, workplaces, schools, churches, synagogues, and civic centers.
Why is it important for us to commemorate and remember the atrocities of the Holocaust, when 6 million Jews, and numerous others, were sent to their deaths by the Nazis, during World War II? There are many theories, but perhaps the most essential is that it is important that we "never forget" the atrocities. This can only be useful if by remembering these events, we forever remain vigilant to assure that nothing like that ever happens again. These days of remembrance are important lessons from history, so that we speak out about atrocities around the world, where there is still far too many incidents of genocide. Incidents from Darfur, and many other areas, where genocide has and continues to occur, certainly cannot and should not be tolerate by a human and civil society. If we only remember, we honor their memories. If we both remember and resist it ever happening again, we all become human beings.
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Since most of the generation that was alive during these atrocities have already past away, we now have a large percentage of the popular who has had little to no familiarity with those events. The belief that it won't happen here, and things have changed, are countered by an alarmingly increasing amount of hate crimes that still exist.
Let's all agree, regardless of our politics, that society must be better than hate- oriented, and that there must be no place for any type of hate crimes against any group anymore. There is no better way to honor memories than to respect all other peoples.
