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2023 Holocaust Remembrance Activities around the World

Africa | Arab States | Asia and Pacific | Americas | Europe and the CIS

In 2023, the United Nations offices organized Holocaust remembrance and educational activities in 22 countries, under the theme ¡°Home and Belonging¡±. Holocaust remembrance and educational events included solemn commemoration ceremonies, exhibits, film screenings and educational briefings. The global network of United Nations Information Centres (UNICs), Services (UNIS) and Offices (UNOs) was supported by materials produced by the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme and its partners. Below, we share with you some of the Holocaust remembrance activities organized by a number of United Nations offices in 2023.

Africa

UNIC Accra, Ghana

This year in observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, UNIC Accra worked together with the Embassies of Israel and the Federal Republic of Germany in Ghana, and the British Council to host a solemn event at the British Council in Accra on 31 January 2023. The programme began with the screening of the animated film ¡°Where is Anne Frank¡± directed by Ari Folman, organized together with UNESCO. In attendance were Mr. Diallo Abdourahamane, UNESCO Representative to Ghana, as well as Ms. Madan Kathleen Addy, Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education, members of the diplomatic corps and about 50 students from Nungua Senior High School, Ecole Fran?aise International d¡¯Accra and Kinbu Senior High Technical.

Mr. Charles Abani, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Ghana, called on everyone to do their best, ¡°for all peoples to enjoy the protection and rights for which the United Nations stands¡±.

Ms. Shlomit Sufa, Ambassador of the State of Israel in Ghana, and Mr. Daniel Krull, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ghana, delivered brief statements. They called on all to work together to create a world of peace, love, and acceptance of others.

UNIC Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

To mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of Holocaust, UNIC Brazzaville brought close to a thousand students to visit the exhibition ¡°State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda¡±. Prior to a tour of the exhibition, the students were briefed by Mr. Prosper Mihindou-Ngoma, National Information Officer, and Mr. Chris Mburu, United Nations Resident Coordinator in the Republic of Congo, about the Holocaust and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Following the tour, the students also engaged in discussion about the exhibition.

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A group of students viewing the exhibition ¡°State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda¡±. Photo: UNIC Brazzaville

UNIC Bujumbura, Burundi

On 3 February 2023 UNIC Bujumbura organized an educational outreach programme at Lyc¨¦e of Rutovu in Bururi Province to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of Holocaust. The programme included introductory remarks by Mr. Evariste Hakizimana, history teacher who briefed students on the history of the Holocaust. Mr. Desire Ndagijimana, National Information Officer, talked about the work of the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme. The event also included the screening of ¡°The Path to Nazi Genocide¡± and the exhibit ¡°The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust¡± and was attended by about 1,000 students. The students also participated in an interactive discussion with the Mr. Ndagijimana, led by Mr. Hakizimana.

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A group of students viewing the exhibition ¡°The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust¡±. Photo: UNIC Burundi

UNIC Dakar, Senegal

UNIC Dakar observed the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust with a conference at UNIC Dakar building. Speakers included Mr. Ben Bourgel, Ambassador of Israel to Senegal, Mr. S?nke Siemon, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Senegal, Mr. Robert Kotchani, Regional Representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, West Africa (OHCHR/WARO), Dr. Alioune Deme, Lecturer at Universit¨¦ Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (UCAD) and Ms. Minielle Baro, Officer-in-Charge at UNIC Dakar. Ms. Boly Ba, Head of Press and Communication at the Embassy of Israel, moderated the event. 

Dr. Deme talked about the contributions of Jewish Diaspora in the United States on Black civil rights. Ms. Baro talked about the danger of hate speech on social media. The event was attended by approximately 50 students. The students also had an opportunity to visit the exhibition ¡°State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda¡±.

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Students at the event organized by UNIC Dakar to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Photo: UNIC Dakar

UNIC Abuja/Lagos, Nigeria 

In observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust UNIC Abuja/Lagos organized educational outreach with over 500 students from Army Day Secondary School Asokoro. The students attended the briefing which highlighted the events leading to the Holocaust. During the programme, the students were urged to shun hate speech, discrimination, racism and all forms of segregation and to promote love and respect the rights of everyone. The poster exhibition ¡°Keeping the Memory Alive¡± was on display for students to view.

Media roundtable discussion marking the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust was held at the United Nations House in Abuja on 26 January 2023. Mr. Matthias Schmale, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria delivered a statement. ¡°We need to strengthen the resilience of our young people against the ideologies of hatred and educate them on the dangers of disinformation¡±. Mr. Michael Freeman, Ambassador of Israel to Nigeria, also spoke at the event and called for commitment on tackling intolerance and advised on the importance of education. 
On 27 January 2023, UNIC Abuja/Lagos held an educational outreach programme at Command Secondary School Lungi Barracks Maitama, with the aim to bring awareness of the danger of intolerance, hate speech and prejudice. The students were urged to stand and speak up wherever they see racism and discrimination and to respect human rights and peace.

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 Students with posters from the exhibition ¡°Keeping the Memory Alive¡± at the Army Day Secondary School Asokoro. Photo: UNIC Abuja/Lagos

UNIC Lom¨¦, Togo

To mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, UNIC Lom¨¦ organized a student briefing at the University of Lom¨¦. The programme included a presentation titled ¡°Holocaust Remembrance: Lessons for a country going through a transitional justice process¡± by Professor Mawusse K. Akue Adotevi, Director of Arts, Communication and Information Sciences Institute (ISICA) at University of Lom¨¦ and Professor Bakayota Koffi Kpaye, former Chief of History Department at University of Lom¨¦ delivered a presentation titled ¡°The distortion of historical and current facts: risks and consequences¡±. The student briefing was attended by the students from the University of Lom¨¦¡¯s history department and media professionals, in total about 100 guests. The film ¡°The Path to Nazi Genocide¡± was screened prior to the briefing.

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UNIC Nairobi, Kenya

UNIC Nairobi in partnership with the Embassy of Israel in Kenya brought together over 400 students from more than 15 Kenyan Universities, and over 50 diplomats accredited to United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and United Nations Habitat to commemorate the 2023 International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The commemoration was held at the United Nations Office at Nairobi on 27 January 2023. Ms. Zainab Hawa Bangura, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi, read the statement of the United Nations Secretary-General. Six candles were lit at the start of the event in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. 

Mr. Sebastian Growth, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kenya, Mr. Michael Lotem, Ambassador of Israel in Kenya, Ms. Hannah Schwartzman, Deputy Chairlady of the Nairobi Hebrew Congregation and daughter of a Holocaust survivors, spoke at the event. Mr. Stephen Lorete, Deputy Permanent Representative and Head of Chancery in the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, spoke on behalf of the Kenyan Government to conclude the first phase of the event.

The second phase of the commemoration was led by Ambassador Lotem and moderated by Mr. Newton Kanhema, Deputy Director of UNIC Nairobi. It included the screening of the documentary ¡°Auschwitz Album: Historical Background of the Holocaust¡± after which the students participated in a Q&A session.  
UNIC Nairobi and the Embassy of Israel mounted an exhibition titled ¡°SHOAH -The Holocaust, How was it Possible?¡± which was on display for one week and was visited by about 700 people.
 

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UNIC Pretoria

UNIC Pretoria in partnership with Education Africa and the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre participated in two key activities to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust in January 2023. 
The first engagement was with over a hundred 9th grade students from Masibambane College to discuss and debate critical concepts related to human rights, discrimination, hate speech and events that led to the Holocaust. Students actively engaged with Holocaust survivor Ms. Irene Klaas as she shared her testimony. 
Students also did a walk-through of the exhibitions at the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre while discussing the Sustainable Development Goals and their link to the achievement of the Agenda 2030, human rights for all and their role in creating a better South Africa and ultimately playing a positive role in society as a whole. 
The second engagement was attended by Mr. Masimba Tafirenyika, Director of UNIC Pretoria, who shared with the audience the message of the United Nations Secretary-General. The event was attended by members of the diplomatic corps as well as community members. Mr. Paul Salmons, historian and exhibition curator, spoke about how personal artifacts from the Holocaust have moved him. The event included a candle-lighting ceremony with Holocaust survivors.

Arab States

UNIC Rabat, Morocco

On 29 January 2023, UNIC Rabat together with Mimouna Association and the council of Morocco¡¯s Jewish communities organized Holocaust remembrance in Casablanca synagogue under the theme ¡°Mohammed V: protector of the Moroccan Jewry during the Holocaust. The commemoration took place in the Bethel Synagogue in downtown Casablanca was attended by high-profile representatives of the Jewish community, the United Nations, the Moroccan government, the diplomatic corps, scholars, and artists as well as Muslim and Jewish youth. 

Asia and Pacific

UNIC Canberra, Australia

UNIC Canberra in partnership with Rotary Club of Canberra Burley Griffin, ACT Jewish Community and United Nations Association of Australia ACT, commemorated the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust on 27 January 2023 at Canberra ¹ú²úAV Bell in Lennox Gardens.
Six commemorative white roses were placed in memory of the six million Jewish victims of Holocaust by Ms. Tara Cheyne, Minister for Multicultural Affairs ACT, Mr. Chris Cantor, Deputy Head of the Embassy of Israel in Australia, Mr. Adrian Edwards, UNHCR Representative for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific (on behalf of UNIC Canberra), Ms. Andrea Conti, President Rotary Club of Canberra Burley Griffin, Mr. Andreas Radtke, Charg¨¦ d¡¯affaires, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and Ms. Karen Tatz, President of ACT Jewish Community accompanied by two young students.

Speeches were made by the President of ACT Jewish Community, Deputy Head of Mission from the Embassy of Israel and the United Nations Secretary-General¡¯s Message for the Day was read by Mr. Edwards. Musical interludes from ¡°Schindler¡¯s List¡± and ¡°Song of Hope¡± were played by the violinist from the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the ¹ú²úAV Bell was struck. The event was well attended, and the audience included members of the diplomatic corp, ACT Minister, members of Jewish community and Rotary club of Canberra Burley Griffin.

This solemn event which was supported by the Embassy of Israel to Australia was a highly successful event and has never held a commemoration in this way before in ACT. It was a wonderful example of creating new partnerships (active participation from Embassy of Israel and ACT Jewish community) and strengthening existing ones (Rotary Club and UNAA ACT).

UNIC New Delhi, India

The United Nations in India in partnership with Embassies of Israel and Germany, Alliance Francaise de Delhi and UNESCO New Delhi Office marked the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. The objective has been to pay homage to the victims of the Holocaust, keep the memory of the Holocaust alive and to remind the future generations of the atrocities, violence and injustices.

The commemoration took place over two days, 30-31 January 2023. A film screening and an interaction was organised in the first half of 30 and 31 January for some 230 students from 10 schools across the Delhi region. The students were shown videos on the Holocaust from the Yad Vashem Library and a film on the Radegast Station suggested by the Polish Institute in Delhi. The screenings were followed by a question and answer session with diplomats from different embassies including Israel, Poland, Austria and Belgium. The interaction saw some very thought-provoking questions from young students.

The Embassy of Israel displayed an exhibition titled, ¡°Stars Without a Heaven¡±, an exhibition about children in the Holocaust. The Embassy of Austria displayed panels on women achievers during the Holocaust. A digital exhibition by the Embassy of Romania of images and documents discovered in Romania after the Holocaust was displayed before and after the event.

The formal commemoration of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the Holocaust was held on the evening of 31 January. The programme included speeches by ambassadors and diplomats from some 70 missions in India. Speakers includedthe Ambassador of Israel to India, the Deputy Ambassador of Germany to India, the Head of the European Union delegation in India, the Ambassador of France to India, the head of UNICEF in India, the officer-in-charge of UNESCO New Delhi office and a video message by the United Nations Resident Coordinator in India.

To pay homage to the victims, the speeches were interspersed with Hebrew prayers sung by The Neemrana Foundation of Music and a piano recital by students from the Delhi School of Music of the compositions of Dick Kattenburg, a Dutch Jewish composer who was murdered at Auschwitz at the age of 24.

The commemoration was shared on United Nations India social media handles and generated about 10000 impressions across platforms.

With the presence of some journalists, the ceremony was covered in the press.

UNIC Kathmandu, Nepal

In Nepal, for the ninth year in a row, the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust was jointly marked by the United Nations in Nepal with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Nepal, the Embassy of Israel in Nepal, and the Delegation of the European Union to Nepal to create awareness about the Holocaust and to unanimously raise the voice against hate speech, antisemitism, discrimination, and intolerance.

This year the United Nations in Nepal organized the Holocaust Memorial Ceremony at Boudhanath Stupa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The commemoration was organized in Boudhanath as a reminder of the importance of tolerance, empathy, and mutual respect, which is at the heart of Buddhism. Boudhanath Stupa, as a place of peace and spirituality, served as a reminder that peace and love are not just words, but they are something that needs to be actively pursued and protected. The peaceful and serene atmosphere of the Stupa provided a powerful symbol of hope and healing for the victims of the Holocaust and their descendants. 

The participants of the memorial ceremony lighted 108 butter lamps at the Stupa which helped promote interfaith dialogue and understanding between different religions and cultures, essential to promote tolerance in today¡¯s time.

The highlights of this year¡¯s ceremony included messages of peace from Ms. Elke Wisch, the United Nations Resident Coordinator a.i. and UNICEF Representative in Nepal, Mr. Thomas Prinz, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Ms. Dana Fisher, Charg¨¦ d¡¯affairs of the Embassy of Israel and Dr. Joelle Hivonnet, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Nepal.

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 Students of Kathmandu Pragya Kunja School perform the musical piece ¡°Violin of Hope¡± during the Holocaust Memorial Ceremony. Photo: UNIC Kathmandu

UNIC Tokyo, Japan

UNIC Tokyo raised awareness of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust through social media, including broadcasting the Secretary-General¡¯s message on the International Day with subtitles in Japanese.

Americas

UNIC Bogot¨¢, Colombia

UNIC Bogot¨¢ worked together with the Jewish community in Colombia on an event mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. It took place on 27 January 2023 in the Major Seminary of Bogot¨¢ and was attended by ambassadors, representatives of the church, children of survivors and representatives of the United Nations, including Ms. Mireia Villar Forner, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Colombia, who delivered a brief statement.

UNIC Buenos Aires, Argentina

UNIC Buenos Aires has partnered with the Holocaust Museum in Buenos Aires to organize the exhibition ¡°After the End of the World: Displaced Persons and Displaced Persons Camps¡±. The exhibition opened on the 17 April 2023 and was attended by United Nations and Museum representatives, several ambassadors and representatives from civil society organizations. The exhibition is on view through 16 June 2023.

Ms. Fabiana Mindlin, Director of the Holocaust Museum in Buenos Aires, pointed out that ¡°after the laws, the ghettos, the camps, the death everywhere, hundreds of thousands of Jews scattered throughout post-war Europe resumed their lives. They were no longer objectified, dehumanized, persecuted and sentenced to death. But life, what we know as life, did not begin overnight. Many efforts, from many organizations and the survivors themselves, came together to give a new beginning to those lives.¡±

Ms. Claudia Mojica, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Argentina, said that ¡°together we must face falsehoods with facts, ignorance with education, indifference with commitment. Because ¡®never again¡¯ means looking carefully at the faces of survivors and listening to their testimonies. Focusing on the humanity of the victims prompts us to remember our humanity and our responsibility to fight hate speech and prejudice.¡±

Ms. Mindlin and Ms. Mojica, together with Mr. Jonathan Karszenbaum, Museum Director, Ms. Tamar Hahn, UNIC Director, and Ms. Fabiana Loguzzo, Argentine Ambassador to International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), performed the traditional ribbon cutting to formally open the exhibition.
Also participating were Ms. Aleksandra Piatkowska, Ambassador of Poland in Argentina, Mr. Amador S¨¢nchez Rico, Ambassador of the European Union to Argentina, Mr. Saeed Abdulla Alqemzi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Argentina, Ms. Ginette Campos Rojas, Ambassador of Costa Rica in Argentina, Ms. M¨¹jde Utku, Secretary of the Embassy of Turkey in Argentina, Mr. Gustavo Miranda Valenzuela, Minister of Culture of the Embassy of Paraguay, Mr. H¨¦ctor Orestes Aguilar Cabrera, First Secretary of the Embassy of Mexico in Argentina and Mr. Victor Davydov, Attach¨¦ of the Embassy of Russia in Argentina. Also present were Ms. Andrea Gualde, president of the Advisory Committee of the Auschwitz Institute, Batia Nemirovsky, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Ms. Celeste Adamoli and Ms. Cristina Gomez Giusto, Directors of Education for Human Rights, Gender and ESI in the Ministry of Education of the Nation, Mr. H¨¦ctor Shalom, director of the Anne Frank Center in Argentina, and Mr. Norberto Baloira, the Executive Secretary of COORDIEP.

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Exhibition ¡°After the End of the World¡± at the Holocaust Museum in Buenos Aires.  Photo: UNIC Buenos Aires

UNIC Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

UNIC Rio de Janeiro partnered with two Jewish local organizations and participated in a ceremony to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust at the newly inaugurated Memorial for the Victims of the Holocaust in Rio de Janeiro. Ms. Roberta Caldo, National Information Officer, delivered a speech for an audience of 200 people, including local authorities, diplomats, Jewish community and students. The event was broadcasted on the Brazilian Israeli Confederation (CONIB) on YouTube (link here), with more than 1,800 views. The United Nations Secretary-General¡¯s video message was also disseminated on social media.

UNIC La Paz, Bolivia

UNIC La Paz organized together with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bolivia a commemorative ceremony in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, and a photo exhibition titled ¡°1,700 Years of Jewish Life in Germany¡± was on view at the German Embassy. The exhibition included photographs, testimonies and historical information, and talked about the arrival of German and Austrian Jews to Bolivia. The ceremony was attended by Mr. Jos¨¦ Schulz, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Rafael Ramirez, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Bolivia a.i., Ms. Carla Meyer, representative of the Israelite Circle, the diplomatic corps and special guests.

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UNIC Mexico City, Mexico

On 31 January 2023, UNIC Mexico together with the Yad Vashem community held an event to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The event took place in the School Hebreo Monte Sina¨ª and was attended by students from different religions and representatives of Yad Vashem. Ms. Carmen Lucia Morales Hernandez, Director of UNIC Mexico delivered keynote address and read the United Nations Secretary-General¡¯s message.

UNIC Washington, United States

This year UNIC Washington participated in commemorative activities at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. During the event, Mr. Brenden Varma, Deputy Director of UNIC Washington, first memorialized victims by reading their names out loud in the Hall of Remembrance. Following that, he interacted with Slovak Holocaust survivor Gideon Frieder, who described how he had seen his mother and sister killed in front of him and stressed how important it was for people to speak out when they saw incidents of hatred.

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Mr. Brenden Varma, Deputy Director of the UNIC Washington, reads Holocaust victims¡¯ names at US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. Photo: USHMM

Europe

United Nations Office in Baku, Azerbaijan

The United Nations Office in Baku has translated and disseminated the United Nations Secretary-General¡¯s video message on the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust into the Azerbaijani language. The Office has subtitled the video message and shared on the United Nation in Azerbaijan¡¯s social media channels. 

UNIC Minsk, Belarus

UNIC Moscow, Russian Federation

As part of the 9th annual Holocaust Remembrance Week, held in Russia from 16 to 31 January, Mr. Vladimir Kuznetsov, Director of UNIC Moscow, spoke at the opening of an exhibit titled ¡°The Holocaust: Destruction, Resistance, Redemption¡±, which was put together on the basis of documents and photographs from 25 archives, museums and funds of 10 countries. The concept of the project is unique. The tragedy of three million Jews who were exterminated by the Nazis on the territory of the former Soviet Union is presented at 18 display cases through the fate of a number of individual people. The exhibit exists in 7 languages and has been on display in 15 countries on four continents. It was originally unveiled at the United Nations Headquarters, the Council of Europe and UNESCO, the Russian parliament and parliaments of other countries.

Mr. Kuznetsov and the National Information Officer addressed the opening ceremony and the closing session of the 17th Annual Conference of Students and Young Researchers on Holocaust. Both UNIC staff members called on young scientists to continue their research and noted the role of the United Nations in preserving the memory of the Holocaust. All participants of the conference received diplomas, and the three winners, determined during the consideration of the reports, received diplomas and certificates for memorable gifts.

In continuation of its project initiated in 2022, UNIC Moscow published a brochure titled ¡°The Righteous Among the Nations from the Territory of the Former Soviet Union. Selected stories. Part 2¡± in observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The actual stories were originally written by Yad Vashem, which gave UNIC Moscow their approval for using all available materials on this topic from Yad Vashem¡¯s archives.

UNIC Prague, Czech Republic

UNIC Prague attended an official function organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to remember the victims of the Holocaust chaired by the Deputy Foreign Minister. The function was attended among others by the members of the diplomatic corps. The UNIC Prague has also translated and disseminated United Nations Secretary-General¡¯s message and subtitled the video message which was disseminated through its social media.

United Nations in Turkmenistan

This year the United Nations in Turkmenistan jointly with the Embassy of Israel in Turkmenistan held the Holocaust Remembrance event under the guiding theme for this year ¡°Home and Belonging¡±. The meeting explored how victims adjusted their ideas of ¡°home¡± and ¡°belonging¡± as they faced the violent, antisemitic onslaught during the Holocaust, and what ¡°home¡± and ¡°belonging¡± meant to survivors in the immediate post-war years frame.
Speakers representing the Diplomatic and Jewish communities in the country noted that such events provide opportunities to develop a deeper appreciation of the victims and survivors. They stressed that ¡°placing the victims and survivors in the centre of historical research, and that learning, and remembrance illuminates the humanity of victims of atrocities today, and the impact of antisemitism fueled by disinformation and the distortion of history. Focusing on the humanity of victims prompts us to remember our humanity, and our responsibility to combat hate speech, combat antisemitism and prejudice - to do all we can to prevent genocide¡±.

¡°Remembering, discussing and learning about the Holocaust is important not only because it helps us gain a better understanding of the past, but because it also raises awareness about contemporary forms of antisemitism, xenophobia and other forms of hatred. It illustrates how these can create the preconditions for genocide¡±, noted Mr. Dmitry Shlapachenko, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan, during his welcoming remarks.
Following the panel discussion and music interlude the participants visited photo exhibition ¡°The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust¡± that outlined the impact of the Holocaust on children.

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Exhibition ¡°The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust¡±.  Photo: United Nations in Turkmenistan

UNIS Vienna, Austria

UNIS Vienna has marked the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust with a commemorative ceremony and the poster exhibition ¡°Crimes Uncovered: The First Generation of Holocaust Researchers¡± at the VIC Rotunda. The event included remarks by Ms. Ghada Waly, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna, Mr. Mordechai Rodgold, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations (Vienna) and musical performances, organized by the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations (Vienna) in cooperation with UNIS Vienna. About 160 people took part in the event. 

Cin¨¦-ONU Vienna screened the film ¡°Game Changers¡± directed by Noam Sobovitz. The scnening followed by the panel discussion at the local arthouse cinema Topkino. It was organized by UNIS Vienna in cooperation with the Permanent Missions of Israel and Germany to the United Nations (Vienna) and the Centre for Israel Studies (Vienna). Over 110 people joined the event, including United Nations staff and representatives of the Jewish community, civil society, academia and the diplomatic corps in Vienna. 

UNIS Vienna also hosted a second screening of the film ¡°Game Changers¡± at UNIS Vienna¡¯s cinema Room Vienna International Centre (VIC), followed by a Q&A session with film director Noam Sobovitz. The event was organized in cooperation with the Permanent Missions of Israel and Germany to the United Nations (Vienna) and the Centre for Israel Studies (Vienna). 

Screening of the film ¡°The United States and the Holocaust¡± took place at the Holocaust Memorial Centre (HMC) in Budapest, Hungary, with around 30 high school students and teachers from the Lauder Javne high school. It followed by a discussion with a historian from the HMC. The event was organized in cooperation with UNIS Vienna.

On 18 April 2023, UNIS Vienna has also facilitated the screening of the movie ¡°The Last Survivors¡± at the Lauder Javne School in Budapest, Hungary. Following the screening, the students engaged in a discussion. 

The opening of the poster exhibition ¡°Some were Neighbours: Choice, Human Behaviour, and the Holocaust¡± took place at the Memorial Museum in Budapest, Hungary, organized in cooperation with UNIS and attended by Mr. Martin Nesirky, UNIS Director. The poster exhibition will be on display until June 2023.
UNIS Vienna also organized a workshop with 40 students from the Business School in Levice, Slovakia at the local Tekov Museum. The poster exhibition ¡°Some were Neighbours: Choice, Human Behaviour, and the Holocaust¡± was also on view at the school premises.

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