Remembering the Holocaust in 2023

By: Ollie Sawitsky, Staff Writer

In the 1940s, and in the midst of World War II, the atrocities of the Holocaust were committed.

    Six million Jewish people were murdered in systematic camps, and millions more were persecuted based on race, religion, sex, disabilities, and many other reasons. On Jan. 27 every year, International Holocaust Remembrance Day is celebrated as a grim, somber reminder of these atrocities.

    Sophomore Nick Salvador says, “Although I had heard of the Holocaust, I hadn’t heard of International Holocaust Remembrance day. I think it is extremely valuable to learn about the Holocaust, and to keep the memories of the bad around.”

    Many people of Jewish descent view International Holocaust Remembrance Day as a day to shed light on their culture.

    Jamie Kerzner, a junior at West Haven High School and an active participant in his synagogue, states, “I think it helps shine light on our culture. Not only does it shed light on the bad things about the Holocaust, it sheds [light] on some of the resistance our brothers had, and how they fought the Nazis. For example, there is the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and the multitude of escapes from various camps.”

    At Foran, students are learning about the Holocaust. Sophomore Ryan Bacon is trying to learn more about the Holocaust, and about what exactly happened.

    Bacon states, “I don’t know much about the Holocaust, but I think it is important to learn about it, because it was a dark time in history, but it also shows how a community of people can band together and come back stronger.”

    Around the world, International Holocaust Remembrance Day is celebrated in a multitude of ways. Per the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) website, The UN urges every member state to remember the six million Jewish Holocaust victims, and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides.

    Among the biggest vigils held around the world happens in Israel. Within the majority Jewish nation is the day Yom HaShoah, their version of Holocaust Remembrance Day. The day, which falls on the 27th day of the Nisan, which in 2023 is on April 17, has massive implications for daily Israeli life. At exactly 10 a.m., everything across Israel stops as sirens sound. Schools stop teaching, offices stop working, and cars stop driving. Everyone stands up and observes a two-minute wail of air raid sirens across Israel, marking remembrance of the Holocaust and its victims.

    Although the Holocaust is regarded as one of the dimmest times in human history, it is important that it is remembered and people learn about the atrocities that happened.