International Holocaust Remembrance Day

January 27, 2018 marks the 73nd anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945, and is memorialized as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.  International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorates the survivors and victims of the Holocaust, a mass genocide that took the lives of an estimated 6 million Jews, and millions of others during World War II.

The Liberation of Auschwitz, January 27, 1945

New York City became a safehaven for Jews

On the 29th, the Consulate General of Italy will pay homage to those who were affected by the Holocaust.  There will be a reading of names of Italian Jews who were deported from Italy, and its territories.  At this ceremony, the importance of New York City will also be recognized. It became a safehaven for Jews seeking refuge from their home countries.  New York City gave them freedoms, and the opportunity to start a new life safe from the Nazi-Fascist persecution.

In addition, the Consulate General of Italy, the Italian Cultural Institute, Centro Primo Levi, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò at NYU, the Italian Academy at Columbia University, the Calandra Institute at CUNY, and La Scuola d’Italia Guglielmo Marconi will host a series of educational programs to educate the youth about topics like totalitarianism, racism, and antisemitism, all ideologies that lead to the Holocaust.  It is important to remember, and to learn from the hatred, racism, and discrimination of the past to ensure that history does not repeat itself.