Holocaust Memorial Day
27th of January 2022What is Holocaust Memorial Day?
Holocaust Memorial Day or International Holocaust Remembrance Day takes place to encourage the remembrance of victims of genocide across the world. Holocaust Memorial Day is the international day to remember over six million Jewish people who were killed during the Holocaust, as well as millions of other people who were persecuted by Nazi Germany during the Second World War.
Additionally, the day is an opportunity to remember people who were impacted by genocide in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
When is Holocaust Memorial Day?
Holocaust Memorial Day is observed each year on January 27th. This is the same day that the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated in 1945.
What is the theme of Holocaust Memorial Day 2022?
Each year, Holocaust Memorial Day has a different theme. In 2022, the theme is ‘One Day’. There are many ways to interpret the theme, including:
- One Day for Holocaust Memorial Day – a chance to learn and teach about the Holocaust and remember those who are or have been affected by genocide.
- One Day in history – find out what happened on a specific day in history and how many lives were changed that day.
- One Day when life is changed – how life changed for the victims of genocide in just one day.
- One Day at a time – for those suffering, the only way to cope was to take one day at a time
- One Day in the future – the prospect of having a day in the future, which is a better future with no genocide.
What was the Holocaust?
The Holocaust was a movement that started with discriminating against Jewish people.
In this time, many Jewish people were forced away from home and into concentration camps, where the unimaginably high death rates meant that survival was a daily struggle.
In total, over 11 million people were murdered by the Nazi regime and its collaborators during the Holocaust. This number represents 6 million Jewish people and 5 million other victims, including Gypsies, members of the LGBTQ+ community and political prisoners.
Mary Elmes Prizewinning Holocaust Writing
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