As Holocaust Memorial Day January 27 2025

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As Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 approaches, the urgency of maintaining education about the Holocaust grows ever stronger, particularly as the number of survivors who can share their firsthand accounts dwindles. Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET), emphasizes that we are at a pivotal moment in ensuring the lessons of this atrocity are not lost to time. Pollock poignantly reminds us, “Eyewitnesses will not be here forever.”  

 

This year’s observance offers not only a chance to honor the six million Jewish lives lost in the Holocaust but also a moment to reflect on the critical responsibility to carry forward their stories. Pollock underscores that educating future generations about the “horror of the Holocaust and the explicit, unprecedented nature and uniqueness of this episode in history” is more vital than ever.  

 

To address this challenge, the HET is leveraging modern technology, including artificial intelligence, to preserve survivors’ testimonies in ways that allow schoolchildren to engage in virtual conversations with them. This innovation represents a powerful tool in ensuring that the voices of those who endured unimaginable suffering remain accessible for generations to come.  

 

Pollock stresses that Holocaust education must also explore the roots of antisemitism and how it culminated in the Nazis’ systematic attempt to exterminate Europe’s Jewish population. “It didn’t start with the gas chambers, didn’t even start with the brick through a window,” she explains, urging young people to understand the incremental nature of persecution and the dangers of complicity and indifference.  

 

The recent escalation of antisemitism following the Israel-Hamas conflict highlights the enduring relevance of this work. Multiple police forces in the UK have reported an increase in antisemitic incidents since the war began, and Pollock warns of the rising prevalence of antisemitism both online and offline. She observes that some individuals still fail to recognize antisemitism as they would other forms of prejudice, a troubling reality in an era where misinformation is readily accessible through platforms like TikTok.  

 

Pollock’s message is clear: understanding the Holocaust requires grappling with the brutality of extremism, both past and present. She cites the October 7 attack by Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the abduction of 250 others, as a stark reminder of the horrors that can arise from hatred and extremism.  

 

In a moment of profound significance, King Charles III is set to visit Auschwitz to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day 2025. Pollock praises the visit, stating, “Knowing that His Majesty the King is going to be there, and on behalf of Britain, I mean, you couldn’t ask for anything more. It sends such a strong message of support.” She adds that Holocaust survivors hold the King in deep affection and regard, and his presence will undoubtedly resonate deeply with them.  

 

The HET’s Lessons from Auschwitz project, supported by government funding, continues to play a key role in fostering awareness. Each year, this program enables nearly 3,000 young people from UK secondary schools to visit Auschwitz, offering them a profound and personal connection to history.  

 

As we mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2025, the responsibility to preserve and pass on the stories of the Holocaust lies increasingly with us. Karen Pollock’s words serve as a powerful reminder that the fight against hatred and ignorance must continue, ensuring that the lessons of the past are never forgotten. 

 

Based on a report by The Independent 2025-01-27

 

 

 

[Cryingdick]

I am sure people showed up from the river to the sea.

[Bkk Brian]

A touching speech by the Queen who delivered a powerful address about the holocaust, its history and how important it is to never forget the tragic event.

 

Quite unlike the sham of the Irish PM in his Holocaust Remembrance speech who took it upon himself to use at as a platform for bringing Gaza into it.

 

I knew Ireland was bad, but this is just inexcusable and unconscionable! At event marking Int'l Holocaust Remembrance Day, 
@PresidentIRL engages in Holocaust distortion, by comparing the Holocaust to Gaza, and then ejects a Jewish woman for daring to call out this antisemite and bigot. Israel could not have been any more right to close its Embassy at this Jew-hating country.

 

 

Irish president attacks Israel during ceremony, Jews who protested were forcibly removed
Irish President Michael Higgins used his Holocaust Remembrance Day speech to criticize Israel, sparking protests from Jewish attendees who were forcibly removed; Jewish leaders had warned the president's participation was inappropriate, citing his dismissal of antisemitism concerns and anti-Israel rhetoric 

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hytegzvuje

 

 

 

 

[loong]

That is a new low for the antisemitic Irish president! Has he no shame at all?