Holocaust Day of Remembrance

Each year on January 27, our world comes together to commemorate the millions of victims of the Holocaust who suffered and died at the hands of a brutal Nazi regime. Proclaimed as International Holocaust Remembrance Day by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005, January 7 marks that day in 1945 when the Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, was liberated by Soviet troops.

 

Given that the Holocaust is one of the darkest and most horrifying periods in history, it is a day that can never be forgotten. January 27 provides a designated time for the world to reflect and remember the atrocities suffered by innocent men, women, and children in the face of indescribable hate and brutality. Over six million Jews were murdered along with millions of others, including those who were disabled, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Roma, LGBTQ people, and more. Why were these particular groups of people victims of such oppression and persecution? How was such indescribable hate allowed to survive?

 

While many people around the world acknowledge this day of remembrance to honor the memory of those persecuted and continue to stand up against hatred and bigotry, for me it is a personal matter as well. As a Jew, I have heard the stories of family members who experienced the nightmare of the Holocaust firsthand. It is unfathomable for me to imagine what they suffered. My great grandfather, Harry Marmaros of Hungary, lost his entire family - parents, brothers, sisters. Navigating such a huge loss and still maintaining the will and resilience to survive shows incredible strength and resilience. Even in the midst of such tragedy, however, one of his cousins, Gita Berkowitz, survived. In the spring of 1944, Gita, at the age of 17, was deported to Auschwitz along with her entire family. Upon arrival, her mother, sisters, and younger brother were murdered. Gita managed to escape death by running under the legs of “Angel of Death,” SS Officer Dr. Josef Mengel, to another line of the more “fit.” She worked in a German munition factory and was moved to several camps. At the end of the war, she returned to her hometown, where she met and married Henry Feurwanger, who sadly had lost his parents and three of his siblings during the Holocaust. 

 

As the victims of the Holocaust are remembered, I feel it is important to point out that in the face of such terror, the Jews did fight back. Through active resistance, Jews developed underground movements in the ghettos to organize uprisings and attempt to break out. They passively resisted by demonstrating their resilience and attempting to maintain their human dignity under the worst of conditions.

 

When I visited Israel a while back, I took a trip to Yad Vashem, the museum that serves as Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is an overwhelming experience, as it feels like one is actually transported back to that time. The stories, pictures, documents, and exhibits preserve the memory of those murdered as well as those who fought back against the Nazi brutality. It also displays the good side of humanity through stories of the Gentiles who risked their lives to aid Jews in need. In addition, the museum aims to educate and provide research regarding genocide with the objective of preventing horrific events like this from happening in the future.

 

Yet, even in the aftermath of such evil, hate crimes continue to flood news stories and headlines. A recent 2021 CNN article reported that US hate crimes surged to the highest levels in 12 years. Victims reported they were targeted due to their race, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or gender. 

 

As International Holocaust Memorial Day approaches, everyone must do their part to remove hate, bigotry, injustice, and intolerance from our society. The Holocaust is a very grim reminder of what horrors can ensue from oppression and hate. It is important to make an effort to be kind; speak up if someone is being bullied or oppressed; light a candle in memory of all who have been victimized because of race, sex, disability; and say a prayer. All of these are ways to honor those whose lives have been lost in the Holocaust. We must never forget.