International Holocaust Remembrance Day prompts reflection on past and present hatred

A dark time in history continues to be felt decades later. Survivors, world leaders, and many others are lighting candles to commemorate the millions who were murdered during the Holocaust.

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a global pause to reflect on the atrocities committed against Jewish people and others across Europe under the Nazi regime during the 1940s. Despite ongoing efforts to look back and remember, many around the world continue to raise alarm about present-day hatred. With war in the Middle East and fewer Holocaust survivors still alive, advocates and historians are expressing concern about preserving this day of remembrance. Survivors of Auschwitz and their loved ones lined up one by one to lay wreaths and light candles — a tribute to those who were victims at the hands of the Nazis, and to the liberation of the death camp during the Second World War.

Today marks the 81st anniversary of when Nazi control in the area was dismantled. It also led to worldwide commemoration and remembrance of the Holocaust. Speaking at the National Holocaust Memorial in Ottawa, the Prime Minister said today is a day to remember the consequences of ignorance and hatred, adding that history must be remembered to ensure it is never repeated. International Holocaust Remembrance Day was created by the United Nations in 2005 as an annual reflection on the millions of lives lost under the Nazi regime.

Between 1933 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators orchestrated the systematic persecution and extermination of countless groups of people, primarily six million Jewish people. Through the use of prison camps, death marches, gas chambers, and other methods, somber events were held around the world, including at the United Nations, in Berlin, and in Israel. Coinciding with the day of remembrance, hundreds gathered in Tel Aviv in front of a digital stopwatch that had been running for 843 days since the October 7 attacks by Hamas. The clock came to a halt after the last remaining Israeli hostage was released. Advocates and politicians around the world are also taking a moment to reflect on present-day challenges involving the rise of antisemitism and threats to communities. Deadly events, including recent attacks at a Manchester synagogue and a Hanukkah gathering in Bondi Beach, Australia, remain top of mind for many calling for an end to hatred.

Holocaust historian Jan Grabowski says he is calling for an end to political and ideological tensions tied to antisemitism. He also warns that with so few remaining Holocaust survivors, annual reflection must not become a distant memory, as that could fuel denial of history. According to a New York–based Jewish organization that negotiates restitution for those impacted by the Nazi regime, an estimated 196,600 Jewish Holocaust survivors are still alive globally — down from 220,000 a year ago.

Roses are placed on the Holocaust Memorial on the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, 2025 in Berlin, Germany (Maja Hitij/Getty Images).