Jan. 27, 2021 marked the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp by the Soviet army. Auschwitz is the place in which 1.1 million deaths occurred in the time of World War II. The mass genocide carried out by the Nazis resulted in a gruesome murder of 6 million Jewish people, as well as 5 million Romani, gay, and disabled people. Now, the day is observed as a day of remembrance.

Remembrance is important when conversing about the largest genocide in the twentieth century. The phrase “Never Again” is uttered as a mantra to instill the notion that the world should never let another atrocity like the Holocaust happen again.

This year’s theme for the international Holocaust Remembrance Day was “Light in the Darkness.” According to the U.N.’s website, “Against a global context of rising antisemitism and increasing levels of disinformation and hate speech, Holocaust education and remembrance is even more urgent, as is the development of an historical literacy to counter repeated attempts to deny and distort the history of the Holocaust.”

In the spring, the Jewish community observes Yom Hashoah, which is a day set aside for vigils, education, and synagogue services.

“We will continue to do our bit for as long as we can, secure in the knowledge that others will continue to light a candle long after us.”

– Gena Turgel MBE, survivor of the Holocaust (1923-2018)