Holocaust Remembrance Day

Today, January 27, is Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp by the Red Army. As we pause to remember the atrocities of the Holocaust – the genocide of six million Jews and five million members of other marginalized groups – we take one step toward ensuring that history does not repeat itself.

But simply remembering the horrors of this darkest period in our history is not enough. Today, with antisemitism and extremism on the rise and the more recent genocides in Bosnia, Darfur and Rwanda, to name a few, we must not just silently shake our heads at the evil that exists in humanity, but speak up and stand up for what is right whenever possible.

As we reflect on the 11 million humans who lost their lives due to the horrors of the Holocaust, we turn to a traditional phrase that offers comfort to Jews who have lost loved ones: May their memory be a blessing. Today, may their memory also be a call to action.