Today we mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This year carries special significance as we commemorate 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. While the liberation of the camps symbolized the end of the nightmare for the Jewish people and brought great joy to the world, it also marked the beginning of a long and painful journey of recovery.
Today, we honor the memory of the victims and pay tribute to the survivors for their unwavering resilience. The scars of the Holocaust have not faded with time – they have shaped both the remainder of the survivors' lives and our own lives. Their determination teaches us that even in the darkest times, it is possible to create light and spread it forward.
Each year, we bid farewell to more survivors – those who were direct witnesses to the events. With the passing of each survivor, we lose not only the ability to connect with the person and their story but also face increasing difficulty in fighting for historical truth – a concept that has become increasingly easy to challenge today.
However, we do not have the privilege of giving up and accepting this loss. As Jews and as human beings, we must carry each and every story forward to the next generation. At Yad Vashem, we are working to develop and formulate creative ways and new means to do this, even when the generation of survivors is no longer with us.
These matters take on added urgency today when, in marking this significant historical day, we cannot do so without expressing deep concern. Perhaps for the first time since the establishment of the state, we face a complex reality in Israel and worldwide, where a murky wave of antisemitism is growing, highlighting the understanding that some believe the existence of the Jewish people is not to be taken for granted.
Against this evil, we do not have the privilege of saying "it will be fine." We know the course of history. Hatred and antisemitism that are left unchallenged will intensify and multiply until they become uncontrollable.
We must take operational actions and call on world leaders to unite and act decisively against this phenomenon, as when it intensifies and erupts – no person or society will be immune to its consequences.
Dani Dayan is chairman of the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center
