The international community is today marking the millions that disappeared during the Holocaust.
The Holocaust, or Shoah, is the term used to describe the deliberate murder and desecration of millions of people prior to and during World War II in Germany and German occupied areas in Europe. Many of them were Jewish but the Roma people, Soviet civilians and prisoners of war, ethnic Poles, people with disabilities, homosexuals and political and religious opponents were also killed.
Many people died in concentration and death camps spread across Nazi-occupied Europe. One of the most notorious camps was Auschwitz-Birkenau, near Ošwiecim, Poland. More than one million people died in Auschwitz-Birkenau before Soviet troops liberated it on January 27, 1945.
On January 24, 2005, the UN General Assembly commemorated the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps. Following this session, a UN resolution was drafted to designate January 27 as the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust.
The resolution called for education programmes on the Holocaust to help prevent genocide. It also rejected denials that the Holocaust occurred. On November 1, 2005, the assembly adopted this resolution so the day could be observed each year. It was first observed on January 27, 2006.
We in Malta hold a commemoration in our House of Representatives. However, nothing is done on a national level. This, I believe, is a true pity.
Remembering the holocaust shows the younger generations that to commemorate does not mean to glorify any particular race, country or people but it rather serves as a warning to all of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice.
The global world changes but humanity’s brutality seems to remain unstirred. Looking at recent tragedies such as those in Syria, Libya and Turkey, I shiver to see steel fencing and walls being erected once again in Europe to hold away migrants trying to reach freedom.
By commemorating this huge part of European history, I believe we can heighten awareness of the potential for genocide in the world we live in and could increase the ramifications of prejudice, racism, anti-Semitism and stereotyping in any society.
We must value diversity in a pluralistic society and encourage sensitivity to the position of minorities.
The Holocaust demonstrates how a modern nation could utilise its technological expertise and bureaucratic infrastructure to implement destructive policies ranging from social engineering to genocide.
This also provided opportunities for remaining silent and indifferent in the face of the oppression of others. Today, as in the Holocaust, people flee because their lives and communities are at risk.
The massive movement of populations can therefore be a warning sign of genocide, or the threat of it. Have we become complacent to this? Are we taking these happenings as daily routine news? Are we reliving the Holocaust again today?
Czech born, former US secretary-of-state Madeleine Albright said on November 13, 2007: “The world agrees that genocide is unacceptable and, yet, genocide and mass killings continue. Our challenge is to match words to deeds and stop allowing the unacceptable. The task, simple on the surface, is in fact one of the most persistent puzzles of our times. We have a duty to find the answer before the vow of ‘Never Again’ is once again betrayed”.
The most effective way we can combat this intolerance and honour those who survived and those who perished is to call on each other to do what the survivors have already done, to remember and to never forget.
Tonio Casapinta is the Honorary Consul General of the Czech Republic in Malta.