Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Each year this solemn day is observed on January 27th. All 193 member states belonging to the United Nations are encouraged to remember the six million Jewish victims murdered during what is also referred to in Hebrew as יום השואה (The Day of Shoah). This Hebrew phrase, when translated into English, literally means The Day of Catastrophe. January 27 was chosen because that is the day back in 1945 when Auschwitz was liberated by the Soviet army.
Auschwitz, located in Poland, consisted of three camps: a labor camp, a concentration camp, and a large crematorium. All three centers participated in the murder of Europe’s Jewish population. By the time Auschwitz was liberated, more than one million people had been murdered at Auschwitz alone between 1940-1945.
My heart breaks for the millions who perished at Auschwitz, and elsewhere, during the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime. Lives of both young and old were tragically ended by thousands of people who agreed to participate in the world’s oldest hatred: antisemitism.
My heart is also heavy for the millions of survivors who had to somehow carry on after such a heinous, tragic event. Even today, children born to those who survived the horrors of the Shoah often struggle in ways that I have not experienced and cannot relate to.
On this solemn day of remembrance, would you take a brief moment to reflect on the six million Jewish people who were murdered in the Shoah? And after reflection, would you pray for today’s Jewish community?
Unfortunately, antisemitism is again on the rise. The taking of hostages last month at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, TX illustrates the continuing presence of this evil. As followers of the Jewish Messiah, we must take a stand against this hatred that arises from hell’s darkest regions.
Today, we are releasing a new episode of the TŌV Podcast on this subject. Stephen Briggs, the director of HaTikvah films, joins me for a discussion about the Shoah as we remember these tragic events and the dark spiritual influences of that time.
Would you share one of the free resources below with your friends and family? This small act will help to maintain an awareness of the Shoah and the rising anti-Jewish sentiment around the globe. Let’s make sure we have done everything in our power to ensure the security of our Jewish friends, today and into the future.
Life in Messiah’s page on antisemitism including:
a video “Letter to our Jewish friends”
Practical steps to fight antisemitism
Various blogs written by Life in Messiah field workers
Written by Levi Hazen, Life in Messiah Executive Director
How can you voice your opposition to antisemitism and demonstrate your love for the Jewish people?
Are there young people in your sphere of influence who are unaware of the tragic history of antisemitism? What can you do to educate them?