One Day - Holocaust Memorial Day 2022
‘You didn’t think about yesterday and tomorrow may not happen, it was only today that you had to cope, and you got through it as best you could’ – Iby Knill, Survivor of the Holocaust
The 27th of January every year is marked as Holocaust Memorial Day. A day where we come together to remember the 6 million Jewish men, women, and children who were murdered in the Holocaust as well as the victims of Nazi persecution and subsequent genocides. It is a day where we reflect on the lessons of the past and honour the survivors who continue to relive those memories and share their testimonies for us, the next generation.
So why do we mark Holocaust Memorial Day? The 27th of January marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the infamous Nazi concentration camp where approximately 1.1 million men, women and children were murdered. We mark this day to remember those who perished at the hands of the Nazis and subsequent genocides that occurred in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. It is an opportunity for communities across the UK to learn more about the lessons of the past and use them to help act and challenge the language of hate that happens in society today.
The Holocaust itself was a period in history in the 1930s and 40s where the Nazis and their collaborators murdered millions of people just based on their identity, their backgrounds, based on just who they were. The Holocaust has a complex history and was a defining period of the 20th century. It is a pertinent reminder to contemporary society of what can happen when we let hatred and prejudice take hold and remain unchallenged.
It is a history that should never be forgotten and survivors who are still with us endeavour to ensure that their stories are told to the next generations. However, we are currently in a transitional period where time moves forward and survivors of the Holocaust are becoming fewer and we, the next generation, are the last to hear and listen to their stories in person. Therefore, we have the responsibility to ensure that their legacy is continued forward into the future telling their stories as well as the lessons of the past to ensure a safer future.
This year’s theme is One Day, a chance to take a snapshot of life in one moment. A day where life changed, a day to remember that one action that changed the course of a journey, a day to change the future. The theme encompasses various interpretations of how genocide can change so many people’s lives and the impact that this has; that one day where life can change forever. We are reminded by survivors how one day can change the course of their life, whether that be for the worse or for the better. One particular story that always comes to mind is the testimony of Mala Tribich MBE, where in the liquidation of the ghetto in July 1943 Mala and her cousin, Hania, were put in the line that was heading to concentration camps. Mala asked the SS guards if she and her cousin could go back and surprisingly, they said yes. It is incredible to think how just one moment and one day can change the fate of a person and that one day between life and death.
To myself the theme means making a stand, one day to change the course of the future for the better. We live in a society today where we are seeing the increase of hatred, antisemitism, and identity-based hostility as well as denial and distortion, it is our role as the next generation to speak out against this and challenge these. We are constantly reminded of these challenges throughout the world today, only last week we saw how antisemitism is still prevalent with the hostage incident at a synagogue in Texas and the impact that this has on Jewish communities across the world. As well as this we see the genocides happening in Darfur and the Uyghur population in the PRC. We have the ability to make a change and a stand against hatred and prejudice wherever and whenever we come across it, we need to speak out against injustices so that one day we may have a society without genocide.
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