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Holocaust Memorial Day

Each year, Holocaust Memorial Day is observed around the world on January 27. The date marks the anniversary of when the largest Nazi death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, was liberated.

What was the Holocaust?

The Holocaust (1933–1945) was the systematic, state-sponsored genocide of 6 million European Jews by Nazi Germany and their allies. The Holocaust began when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party rose to power in 1933 and used government policies meant to segregate and discriminate against Jewish communities. As they invaded and occupied much of Europe, the Nazi Party promoted violent rhetoric that all races—specifically Jews—were inferior to the German “Aryan” race. After years of increasing hostility and persecution, the Nazi Party set forth the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question,” in 1941. From 1941 to 1945, Nazis systematically established state-sanctioned killing operations. This included but was not limited to setting up mobile gas vans and concentration death camps which culminated in the mass murder of two-thirds of the Jewish population who lived in Europe prior to World War II. While most victims were Jews, other minority communities—Jehovah’s Witnesses, Roma (Gypsies), homosexuals and people with disabilities—were also targeted and killed during the Holocaust.

Antisemitism today

The prejudices underlying the Holocaust are still present in society today. The Anti-Defamation League tracks incidents of antisemitism nationally—hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic or racial group. According to the ADL, antisemitic incidents in the U.S. reached an all-time high in 2021 with more than 2,700 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism. Further, the ADL documented 16 incidents of antisemitism in Indiana in the past four years. Some of the incidents included graffiti with swastikas, fliers about White Power with swastika images, and men dressed in Nazi flag armbands distributing antisemitic pamphlets with applications to join the Nazi political party.

Call to action

It is important to understand how seemingly small beliefs and actions can ultimately lead to terrible outcomes. When Hitler and the Nazi Party rose to power in Germany, they had no initial plans for mass murder. Further, Hitler and the Nazi Party did not work alone. Aside from Nazi and non-German government allies, German civil servants, public health officials and others helped carry out the regime’s policies. One of the deadliest threats to Jews in Europe came from their neighbors, friends and family who reported them, revealed their hiding places or were indifferent.

As public servants, it is important to:

  • Call out antisemitism and other discriminatory ideologies. Review the Southern Poverty Law Center’s guide for how to fight antisemitism in your community.
  • Visit trusted resources to learn more about the Holocaust. Holocaust Memorial Day Trust encourages remembrance of the horrific events that took place to honor the victims and challenge prejudice and hatred. This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day theme is ‘Ordinary People’ and the role they play in genocide.

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