Holocaust Remembrance Day
Today we observe International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a United Nations-designated Memorial Day observed on January 27, the date that Auschwitz was liberated in 1945.
The Jewish community traditionally observes Yom HaShoah, which typically falls in April to mark the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943.
Holocaust Remembrance Day is a day for telling the story of the Shoah to the rest of the world, which is crucially important when so much of the world remains ignorant of it or chooses not to remember. For example, READ THIS recent story about how little the Dutch know about the Holocaust and how it affected their country.
As Jews, we are obligated to tell our story and to listen to the stories of others. In a week where Asian Americans were targeted and killed while celebrating the new lunar year, not looking away but standing together matters more than ever.
We need to tell our story and listen to the stories of others, even when those stories are painful.
Even as our story is being shared with those who do not know of it, may we listen to the stories of those around us and not turn away from their suffering, their pain, and their experiences.