Holocaust memorial day, held every year on the 27th of January to commemorate the liberation of Bergen Belsen, is a date that is gradually being forgotten as the years go by. And I’ll tell you a secret: it’s not just a day of memorial for the Jewish community- it has much larger implications than that.
It can’t be denied that it often seems there are more important present social and political situations in the world that need to be prioritised, namely the failed ceasefires and ongoing war on Palestine, alongside similar acts of devastation in Sudan, Congo and many other areas of the world.
Many may view the background and values of Holocaust memorial day, and Holocaust education more generally as something which opposes the activism and beliefs we hold on these current international crises, or something separate altogether. Here’s the thing, plain and simple: it’s not. In fact, the premise this day of memorial is built around fuels activism against acts of genocide and systematic killing of all groups, across all countries and all time periods. This entire message can be embodied by the slogan “never again”.
This slogan has been used since the end of the Holocaust, but gains ultimate importance in 2026, when in fact, these acts of war and genocide have indeed happened again.
The main aim of Holocaust Memorial in general is to remember and respect every single person who suffered and were murdered in the Holocaust: Jewish people, the LGBTQ+ community, Roma & Sinti communities, disabled people and any other ethnic minorities and political opponents. These are many of the minority groups we seek to provide safety and liberation to every day. By acknowledging and remembering each group and individual that were persecuted during the holocaust we memorialise these people as a collective: as humans rather than people defined by their respective differences. We humanise and pay respect to those who lost their lives, engage with those who survived and take care of and empower the current generations of people in these groups. Is this not something we seek to do in our everyday lives as students, activists and most of all- as human beings?
As someone who has been volunteering in Holocaust education since the age of 16, i have been able to travel internationally to explore the history of the holocaust, visit what is left of Concentration Camps and hear from, and build relationships with holocaust survivors. These experiences have made me realise how we need to use past events to stop the retelling of history. If we completely forget the tragic events of the holocaust, we have no history to act as a warning sign when we see similar actions happening in the middle east, and all over the world under various dictatorships and tyrannic regimes.
Holocaust Memorial day isn’t, and will never be, an event reserved for a specific demographic: it is vital for everyone to acknowledge. It is not simply a day for retelling the past, but a day of empowerment for those to always stand up for what they believe in, to guarantee acts of genocide will never happen again.
Although it should also be recognised every day of the year, the 27th of January empowers us as a community to stand up against hate, persecution and the murder of innocent people all across the globe. We must use the memory of those who suffered in the Holocaust to advocate and provide aid and freedom to those in similar situations, rather than viewing the Holocaust as an entirely separate event.
