Remembering the Holocaust 77 years later

In commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day 2022, Evie Robinson reflects on the role that education can play in Holocaust remembrance.

Photograph by Evie Robinson, taken at Auschwitz Museum on a visit in 2019, as part of the Holocaust Educational Trust Lessons from Auschwitz Project

77 years. It might feel like a long time.

For many Holocaust survivors who were just children when the Nazis murdered six million Jewish men, women and children, it is a lifetime of haunting memories. 

Every year on 27 January, the world commemorates Holocaust Memorial Day. This particular day, first dedicated to Holocaust remembrance by the United Nations General Assembly on November 1, 2005, marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. But commitment to Holocaust remebrance should extend much further than a single day.

Over the last few years of my work in Holocaust Education, I’ve often been surprised by questions about why such work is necessary. Many have some awareness of what happened during the Holocaust, but view it as an event firmly rooted in the past, failing to connect it with issues of contemporary antisemitism and wider discrimination.

To further explore the vital role of education in Holocaust remembrance, I spoke to representatives from key organisations in Holocaust Education. 

Nurit Davidson, Holocaust Educational Trust Education Officer, shared her thoughts on the importance of Holocaust Education, as emblematic of the values integral for any society:

“The story of the Holocaust is one of the low points in the history of mankind, it fundamentally challenged the foundations of human values. The story of the Holocaust deserves to be taught and passed down from generation to generation in any society that would like to educate for the values of compassion, care, dignity, and equality”

In our discussion, Nurit highlighted the insights from the IHRA (International Holocaust Rememebrance Allaince) about the importance of teaching the Holocaust. IHRA promotes Holocaust education as a means to equip people with better understanding of different types of prejudice, like antisemitism, xenophobia, racism and general stereotyping, how they might manifest in different settings, and what the ramifications of this might be. The Holocaust serves as a historical reminder of how democratic values and human rights can erode and disintegrate over time. 

Kiera Fitzgerald, Education Officer at The Wiener Holocaust Library, shared similar sentiments:

“Education is vital to Holocaust Remembrance. By having a knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust through education, it allows society to ensure that victims of the Holocaust are remembered and honoured, survivors of the Holocaust are given a platform to share their experience and testimony, and that society as a whole recognises what can happen when hatred is left unchallenged. Without an education on the Holocaust, how can these three things be achieved?”

Both Nurit and Kiera reflected on their personal relationships to Holocaust Memorial Day, recalling their earliest memories of Holocaust Education and how it inspired them to continue their journey. Nurit has a particularly personal connection, since she’s a part of the third generation to the Holocaust, her grandmother being an Aushwitz survivor. Hearing her grandmother’s full story for the first time at age twelve, Nurit has since dedidctaed her professional life to advancing education about the Holocaust:

“For me, the story of the Holocaust is my grandmother’s story, the story of my family. I feel teaching about the Holocaust is the least I can do to honour my grandmother and her life story”

Kiera remembers hearing the testimony of Holocaust survivor Freddie Knoller BEM at secondary school as a pivotal moment in her journey with Holocaust Education. I was deeply saddened to hear of Freddie’s passing, just ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day this year. He was a kind soul with charm and charisma, who simply lit up any room that he entered, as Kiera relays:

“Whilst hearing his story of survival was extremely harrowing, what struck me the most was his cheeky personality and charisma that slipped through as he spoke. I couldn’t comprehend at the time how someone who had experienced such horror had such a zest and love for life which shone through, particularly when he spoke of his wife”

May Freddie’s memory be a blessing and a reminder of our duty to pass on the lessons from survivors who are no longer with us. They were brave enough to share their stories with inspiring levels of courage and resilience.

As technology develops and the world continues to modernise, it’s no secret that social media has drastically altered the way we consume information and Holocaust Education is not exception to this. With the rise of social media also comes an increase in misinformation. Nurit spoke of the dangerous role that online platforms play in perpetuating narratives of Holocaust denial and distortion: 

“The rise of social media is one of the greatest challenges of our time. It’s difficult to create deep and meaningful understanding about a historical event such as the Holocaust when all the information and the knowledge should be short, fast, and attractive. More than that, today everyone can write anything, and the information is public, it is very easy to spread information on Holocaust denial or Holocaust distortion and that makes our role much more difficult but also more important”

Both Nurit and Kiera shared their illuminating advice on how we might commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day. Nurit spoke of her hopes for the future of Holocaust Education:

“I really hope that for some of the people who are reading this article, marking Holocaust Memorial Day will be the beginning of their journey of learning and researching the Holocaust, this story is human story and it belonged to all mankind, I hope that many more people will join us in the mission of commemorating the Holocaust for future generations”

Kiera suggested finding your own connection to Holocaust Education, something that resonates with you personally, and that you will truly connect with. When I undertook the Lessons from Aucshwitz Project with the Holocaust Educational Trust, I was lucky enough to hear Zigi Shipper’s testimony. It’s the moment that ignited my passion to continue my journey with HET and, more broadly, Holocaust Education. I’m eternally grateful to Zigi for that memory.

There are many different things you can do to learn more about the Holocaust. Organisations such as the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, the Wiener Holocaust Library (which is only a short walk from campus!), the Holocaust Educational Trust, Yad Vashem, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (to name only a few) provide a wealth of resources. You can listen to a podcast, join an online talk, read one of the recommended books, or hear a survivor share their testimony. 

Kiera concluded our conversation by stressing the importance of carrying forward the things we have learnt:

“One of the most effective ways to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day is to share knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust – even if it is something as small as recommending a book you have read on the Holocaust to a friend, or telling a family member about a talk you attended – this is crucial in safeguarding the experiences of the past”

“There is so much to learn about the Holocaust, and that we are still learning about the Holocaust, so even making the smallest start on expanding your knowledge makes the biggest difference”

Holocaust Memorial Day is a vital day of annual commemoration. But Holocaust Education is something we should strive to advance every single day. On Twitter, the Auschwitz Memorial Museum share the individual story of one victim of the Holocaust, daily. This has become a powerful way for me to integrate Holocaust rememebrance into day-to-day life, making my use of social media beneficial and meaningful. 

The Holocaust Educational Trust were recently joined by the Right Honourable Nadhim Zahawi MP, Secretary of State for Education, and Professor Yehuda Bauer, for their annual Lord Merlyn Rees Memorial event. Nadhim’s words perfectly captured the contemporary relevance of the Holocaust:

“The lessons of the Holocaust need telling, because the dangers have not passed. These evils still exist today. Our best tribute to the survivors that remain is to renew our vow, that the horrors of what they experienced will not be forgotten”

As a result of the pandemic, conspiracy theories, misinformation, and acts of antisemitic violence and hatred have only increased. As Nadhim Zahawi highlighted, it is our duty to stand in solidarity with the Jewish community, and use our knowledge of the Holocaust to combat antisemitism and all forms of hate.

“Silence should not have been an option then, and it is not one now. It’s up to all of us to speak up. We should all be each other’s ally on this journey”