Never Forget the Holocaust

It was on this day, January 27, 1945, that Russian/Soviet troops took possession of the former Nazi concentration camp in Poland, freeing Jewish prisoners interned there and scheduled for extermination. There were also Poles, Russians and other ethnic groups housed in that camp, but the Jews were the majority.

 

Eighty years later, the world remembers this day, this time, with memorials to those who were slaughtered because a madman hated them. And sadly, people who feared reprisals against their own loved ones carried out these crimes against ALL humanity blindly. A total of 1.1MM people died at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

In 2005, the UN designated January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Today, many nations’ leaders and senior representatives will trek to the site, which remains standing because the Polish government will not allow Germany and the world forget what atrocities were committed on their soil without that nation’s consent.

The United States will send a delegation of twelve, led by Special Middle East Envoy, Steve Witkoff and Commerce Secretary Nominee Howard Lutnick as American representatives to the memorial. Russia, whose troops actually liberated the camp, will not be in attendance due to its continued war with Ukraine.

King Charles, President Macron and Prime Minister Trudeau will represent their respective countries. In addition, kings and queens, etc, from other European countries will be present.

Polish President Andrzej Duda, whose nation lost 6 million citizens during the war, placed a candle at the Death Wall, where prisoners were executed, among them Poles who resisted the occupation of their country. He was surrounded by elderly survivors of the camp assisted by family members.

It is a solemn day and the focus is about the tragedy. It certainly is not a day for celebration.

The message still must be shouted to all: Never Forget!