Visitors visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem on January 26, 2023, a day before International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorating the six million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II. , photo credit: AFP
Six million Jews were murdered in cold blood – the result of the worst form of state-sponsored antisemitism in Nazi-Germany. today, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27), we remember those who became victims of unprecedented and systematic killings, It is our responsibility to remember the dead, and our resolve to fight against anti-Semitism and hatred.
the need to combat disruptive behaviors
Violence and hatred are learned behaviors that disrupt basic human principles of peaceful coexistence and acceptance of differences. The Holocaust stands as a jarring example of the deadly consequences of hate crimes and antisemitism that made their way from the fringes to the mainstream. In the case of antisemitism, it is especially dangerous when it is used for power-related purposes, or to quell anxieties during times of crisis and uncertainty. In this way, the ideology of hate can pervade the social fabric as human weaknesses are exploited.
Unfortunately, the world still grapples with inequality, intolerance and injustice in many places. As the evidence shows, a host of serious economic, cultural, religious and ethnic issues continue to incite division, hate crimes and violence in many parts of the world. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of anti-Semitic incidents against Jews around the world. Most of these were incidents of harassment but there has also been an increase in hate speech, attacks and anti-Semitic vandalism on social media in recent years. We must combat these phenomena to avoid widespread social tension and conflict.
memory lane
Today, as we mark the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Holocaust, we remember the systematic murder of six million Jews. The Shoah or the Holocaust, in which Jews were systematically targeted solely for being born Jewish, stands as a defining moment in history. Education about the Holocaust helps us to understand the processes and factors that lead to the abolition of human rights and democratic values, and to identify the conditions that lead to hate speech, violence, and even large-scale violence. Atrocities can increase. To understand that the relevance and impact of the Holocaust transcends time and history, it is our duty to remember the past.
This path of remembrance is a moral imperative for many countries in Europe and around the world. One of the key messages of Holocaust Remembrance is vigilance against dehumanization and discrimination. Rather than erasing the past, we must educate people to ensure that there are no vestiges of this deeply rooted history of discrimination and be cognizant of the resilience and effects of hate ideologies.
Drawing from the concept of ‘reparative futures’, we must find ways to talk about the past by inculcating the responsibility among youth to inculcate the ability to deliver on the promise of ‘never forget’ and ‘never again’.
Important UNESCO initiatives such as the International Program on Holocaust and Genocide Education (IPHGE) are a step towards promoting corrective justice. By teaching young people to see this catastrophe as a watershed moment in history, with the potential for its recurrence in other forms and in other forms, we can instill in them fundamental skills, values, and attitudes to address future challenges such as critical thinking, empathy, and empathy. And can equip with nature. , tolerance, and respect for human rights.
for teachers and youth
Coming to terms with this past is equally important for countries that seem unaffected by Nazism and antisemitism. It is not surprising that for the academic community in India, the Holocaust is a geographically and emotionally distant historical event.
At a time when anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination, Holocaust denial and distortion are on the rise globally, we must provide young people with the opportunity to engage with this history and interrogate the injustices of the past in order to create a just present . Similarly, teachers need to be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to develop and deliver lessons about the history of the Holocaust that resonate with their students in today’s world.
After all, foreshadowing is foreshadowing. An education loaded with learning from the past can demonstrate, as Jean-Paul Sartre so rightly said, that individual choices or the lack of them can really make a difference.
Nor Gillon is the Ambassador of Israel to India, Sri Lanka and Bhutan. Philipp Ackermann is the Ambassador of Germany to India and Bhutan. Hezekiel Dlamini is the Officer-in-Charge of UNESCO New Delhi (UNESCO is a member of Team UN in India, helping meet the Sustainable Development Goals together)