Never again ever: Bengaluru observes International Holocaust Remembrance Day

January 27, 2021, marked 76 years since the liberation of survivors from Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and death camp. In 2005, the UN declared the day the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The Consulate General of Israel to South India hosted a ceremony at the Bangalore International Centre, Domlur, to commemorate the event on Wednesday. In attendance were government officials, foreign diplomats and clergy.

The theme chosen by the UN this year was ‘Facing the Aftermath: Recovery and Reconstitution after the Holocaust’, focusing on the importance of education and remembrance of the Holocaust in a world of rising antisemitism and increasing levels of disinformation and hate speech, and the development of a historical literacy to counter repeated attempts to deny and distort the history of the Holocaust.

Consul General of Israel to South India, Jonathan Zadka, recounted the trial of Adolf Eichmann where survivors where given an opportunity to tell their stories. “The voices of survivors are getting quite every day, soon there will be no one left to tell their stories. Therefore, we should become their voice to make sure that this will never happen again. It is our duty to our communities to warn against these kind of crimes, to warn against anti-semitism, against racism and discrimination of all kinds. It is our duty to tell the victims stories, to remember and never forget,” he said.

Achim Burkart, Consul General of Germany, called for the recording of the memories of the Holocaust through book, films and varied methods. “Holocaust denial and distortion are gaining traction and moving towards the mainstream. We saw it among the rioting mob in the US Capitol, on their t shirts and posters. These are not just words, as a survivor put it — it started with words and it ended in terrible places. Beware of words,” he said.

Heads of diplomatic missions from the US, the UK, Germany, France, Switzerland, Japan, Netherlands and Canada, as well as clergy from various religious communities — Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Bahai, Sikh, Zoroastrian and Jewish — lit memorial candles, either physically at the event or over video conference call. The event concluded with a prayer by the Jewish Rabbi for the 11 million souls who perished in the Holocaust.