Auschwitz was liberated by the Red Army on 27 January 1945. The National Socialist regime had more than 1.1 million people murdered in this biggest of its extermination camps alone. To this day, Auschwitz stands as a symbol of the National Socialists’ unparalleled crimes. 

The United Nations designated 27 January as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This day is also a reminder to bear the lessons of the past in mind and remain vigilant with regard to hate and discrimination.

The term Holocaust refers to the systematic murder of some six million Jews by the National Socialist regime between 1933 and 1945. Jews also use the term Shoah. 

Nowadays, the term Holocaust is also used to include other victim groups that were killed by the National Socialists due to their ethnicity, faith, sexuality, or political or religious convictions, for example.

The Federal Government is actively involved in various ways to ensure that the crimes perpetrated by the National Socialists are not forgotten and in particular to keep memories of the victims alive. This includes participation in central memorial events and the funding of projects dedicated to critically examining the past. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz is attending a number of memorial events marking this year’s remembrance day. 

Federal Chancellor Scholz at Lower Saxony State Office

At a memorial event organised by the International Auschwitz Committee, Federal Chancellor Scholz issued an urgent call for vigilance with regard to any form of indifference: “We must never again allow for our society to be split into ‘us’ and ‘them’.” He stressed that remembrance work and civic courage were the pillars of a democratic society and that protecting human dignity was a top priority. 

See here for the text of the speech given by the Federal Chancellor at the event organised by the International Auschwitz Committee (only german).

Federal Chancellor Scholz at the Jewish Community in Frankfurt

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz previously attended a memorial event held by the Jewish Community in Frankfurt on 19 January. At this event he emphasised that “it must be our guiding principle not to tolerate injustice, never to look the other way, and always to have the courage to say no – in this day and age, too”. He said that critically examining the past involved more than just remembering: it was an obligation so as to lay the foundations for a peaceful and just future.

See here for the speech given by the Federal Chancellor at the Jewish Community in Frankfurt (only german).