World Leaders Prepare to Commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day

As the world watches the continuation of the Israel-Hamas War, the Jewish world and those supporting them prepare to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day this weekend.

The United Nations designated the remembrance every January 27, although several nations remember the victims of the Holocaust either every April or May in line with Israel and the Jewish diaspora or on the commemoration of historical events relating to the Jews during the Second World War.

Here are some of the nations that kickstarted the remembrance this week.

Vatican and Italy

Chief among the world leaders who initiated the commemoration this year was Pope Francis, who reiterated in his weekly general audience on Wednesday (Jan. 24) that war could never be justified and would only benefit weapons makers.

The pontiff—who previously collaborated with Argentinian physicist and rabbi Abraham Skorka prior to his election to the papacy in 2013—made the remarks in the midst of Israel's attempt to dismantle Hamas in Gaza as well as a rise in antisemitism around the world.

"The remembrance and condemnation of that horrific extermination of millions of Jews and of other faiths, which occurred in the first half of the last century, help us all not to forget that the logic of hatred and violence can never be justified, because they deny our very humanity," Francis said.

Aside from the Vatican, the Associated Press reported that the Italian Jewish community earlier denounced the rise in antisemitic sentiment, including what leaders called the improper use of terms like "genocide" following the October 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel and the Israeli military response in Gaza.

Union of Italian Jewish Communities chief Noemi Di Segni also criticized pro-Palestinian demonstrators for using a citation of Holocaust survivor Primo Levi on flyers for a planned demonstration in Rome on Saturday (Jan. 27).

"Leave Primo Levi to our memory," she was quoted by Italian news agency ANSA. "Have the dignity to show your thoughts without offending the memory of a survivor, and find other citations."

The Levi citation pro-Palestinian demonstrators used talked about the need to remember "because what happened could happen again." However, it was allegedly used to implicitly refer to Gaza and not the Holocaust as Levi wrote.

Italian Jews and opposition lawmakers also criticized the use of the Mussolini-era fascist salute akin to the Nazis in Germany in a recent far-right rally in Rome a few weeks ago.

Middle East

The Jerusalem Post released an opinion article written by Judeo-Islamic relations advocate Marc Schneier stressing the importance of a continued Jewish-Muslim dialogue as part of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

He indicated that he was involved in the talks and has since noted the participation of officials from the Arab Gulf states and how over 60 prominent Arab Muslims, including 25 religious leaders, were able to visit the site of the Auschwitz death camp in Poland.

Schneier particularly recognized the work of Muslim World League secretary-general Sheikh Dr. Mohammed al-Issa and his efforts to bring the Jewish and Arab Muslim communities together to remember the Holocaust, educate Middle East communities about it, and combat antisemitism among his ranks, especially the rise of antisemitism in the Arab world due to the war between Israel and Hamas.

"We must encourage the teaching of this truth to children in the Middle East every day to prevent lies and ignorance from endangering the world again," Schneier said.

He further hoped that a conference on antisemitism would help Arabs and Muslims worldwide to "better understand the Holocaust and the history of this unique form of intolerance," and eventually, work to normalize its relations with Israel, which some Arab and Muslim nations already did in the past.

World Leaders Prepare to Commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day — *(Photo: Omar Marques/Getty Images)*

UK and Europe

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron initiated International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorations in London on Tuesday (Jan. 23) with a speech at the Foreign Office in the presence of Holocaust survivor Eve Kugler and Israeli Ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely.

It was also revealed last November that former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined the London march against antisemitism.

"We want all generations to grapple with the legacy of the past, and recognize its relevance in the present," he said. "Because with memory of the Holocaust soon to pass from our living history, we must never allow it to slip from our consciousness."

For its efforts, Germany has been one of the leading nations remembering the Holocaust. During his tenure, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz became very vocal about his opposition to antisemitism during his appearances to remember "Kristallnacht" and celebrate Hanukkah last year.

It could also be recalled that a majority of French politicians joined thousands in marching to oppose antisemitism in French society last November.

Philippines

The Manila Bulletin reported that the Philippine Department of Education commemorated International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Wednesday at a ceremony in an elementary school in the Manila suburb of Quezon City.

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, who also heads the education portfolio within Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s cabinet, was present in the ceremony.

Former president Rodrigo Duterte, the vice president's father, claimed that his estranged wife, Elizabeth Zimmerman, was of Jewish descent. However, the claim of Zimmerman's Jewishness has since been speculated.

The Philippines and Israel have been close allies ever since the Philippines voted for the UN resolution to partition Palestine in 1947 and the establishment of the Jewish State in 1948, making them the only Asian nation to do so at the time.

Prior to this, Commonwealth-era president Manuel Quezon made an attempt to save the Jews from the Holocaust - now known in historical documents as the "Open Door Policy" - which was only cut short by the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in late 1941.

United States

According to ABC News, San Jose in California recalled the horrors of the Holocaust on Monday (Jan. 22), as members of the city's Jewish community recalled their family's stories in the presence of San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan

"I believe the history we remember and the stories we choose to tell, the heroes we choose to celebrate are what we determine who we become," he told the assembly.

Israel's special envoy for combating antisemitism Michal Cotler-Wunsh was also present during the event, stressing that remembering the past was not only important in honoring the lives lost in the Holocaust but also in preventing hate from taking lives in the present and in the future, especially after the events of October 7.

"We have to not only remember the past, but we have to do so in order to identify this strain of antisemitism that plagues our societies, our places, and our spaces online, on university campuses and in Congress," he added. "So that never again, not just in the future, but never again the genocidal intended 10/7 attack."