#WeRemember: Why we must never forget the Holocaust

2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the infamous Nazi extermination camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, the end of the Second World War, and the end of the Holocaust. On this occasion, UNESCO organized the screening of “Who Will Write Our History” at the UNESCO House in New Delhi. Directed by Roberta Grossman, the 120-minute long documentary recounts a bold story of Nazi resistance.
 
Students from various schools namely, Tagore International School, Universal Public School, Jaypee Public School, Sardar Patel Vidya Niketan, Vidsan Charterhouse and Guru Harkrishan Public School from the Delhi-National Capital Region and Anand Sagar Academy from Punjab, attended the screening.
 
The screening provided a platform to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and promote the importance of teaching and learning about the Holocaust. While addressing the student gathering, Programme Specialist of Social and Human Sciences, Juan Pablo Ramirez Miranda recalled the words of the Director General of UNESCO: “Hatred is the same today as it was yesterday, we can and we must resist it. Taking stock of the past and the repercussions of hatred, history can’t be let to repeat itself.”
 
This year’s Holocaust Remembrance Day theme aims to invoke a sense of responsibility in the youth and encourage them to learn from the lessons of the past. Through the medium of films and discussions, we hope to invigorate the youth to act against discrimination and renew our vow of NEVER AGAIN.
 
From the ashes of Auschwitz rose the beacon of UNESCO, with the hope of restoring the dying legacy and culture of the Jews and the promise of using education as a tool to end anti-Semitism and all other forms of discrimination.
 
Further commemorations:
On 30 January 2020, UNESCO New Delhi is partnering with the United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan along with a consortium of diplomatic missions for another film screening and a debate to solidify the belief that NEVER AGAIN is NOW.
 
With the overarching theme of “75 years after Auschwitz - Holocaust Education and Remembrance for Global Justice”, the event aims to give the students a much deeper instruction on how a race is persecuted and how to spot the warming signs of racism by way of interactive discussions led by UN representatives and Ambassadors of collaborating missions.
 
Additional information:
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the systematic murder of six million Jews. Other groups targeted by the Nazis were Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, disabled people, and the Roma ethnic group of people. The fate of the Roma or “Gypsies” during the Holocaust is not widely known despite the fact that they were targeted by the Nazis for extermination. The Roma, who originated in India, followed their own culture and traditions and lived quite distinctly. Many Europeans believed that the Roma did not belong despite the fact that for years the Roma has been living among others Europeans peacefully. Motivated by extreme racism and anti-Semitic ideologies, the Nazis and their collaborators sought to exterminate the entire Jewish people, obliterate their culture and heritage and persecute other groups like the Roma.  
 
The United Nations General Assembly Resolution 60/7 (2005) and UNESCO General Conference Resolution 34C/61 (2007) on Holocaust Remembrance emphasize the historical significance of the Holocaust and outline the importance of teaching this event as a cautionary tale to prevent genocide and other atrocious crimes.