More than 80 years after the Shoah, it is incumbent upon us as Jews and as Europeans to maintain the memory of this most unique of genocides: the systematic murder of six million Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators, representing a third of the world’s Jewish population half of the European Jewish population, and to draw the lessons from this tragedy for our own days.

With the sad passing of many survivors, we move, from the period of memory to the period of history. Our task becomes ever more difficult but also more important as we seek to transfer these lessons to future generations. Nothing can ever replace the testimony of a direct witness as a response to Holocaust denial and trivialisation. We must seek different methods to convey the same message of where hatred and intolerance and antisemitism lead. The most important of these is through education and the EJC works with governments and local authorities to ensure the insertion and maintenance of Holocaust education in curricular and non-curricular activities.

The EJC has also been instrumental in bringing the message of the Shoah to the European level, both within the European Union and the Council of Europe.

The European Jewish Congress initiated the commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day at the European Parliament in 2010. Prior to this, no ceremonies or events were held to honour this darkest chapter in European history in the house of European democracy.

From 2011 to 2019, in partnership with Presidents of the European Parliament, including Jerzy Buzek, Martin Schulz, and Antonio Tajani, the European Jewish Congress organised annual ceremonies. These events ensured that the occasion was marked with dignity, remembrance, and a steadfast commitment to educating future generations about the Holocaust.

Over these years, solemn events were held in the Yehudi Menuhin Hall, attended by Members of the European Parliament, Commissioners and representatives of various EU institutions, Member States, high-level dignitaries, diplomats, and, of course, Holocaust survivors. Renowned musicians and speakers added an additional layer of emotion to these commemorations.

Only after more than a decade of dedicated work and advocacy was this commemoration institutionalised as a permanent fixture in the European Parliament’s plenary session calendar.

Moreover, at the personal initiative and commitment of EJC President Moshe Kantor, the International ‘Let My People Live!’ Forums at Auschwitz, Babi Yar, and Prague, under the World Holocaust Forum, have mobilised politicians, civil society, and the media in widely disseminating the message of Shoah remembrance.

In 2020, the fifth World Holocaust Forum was held in Jerusalem in cooperation with Yad Vashem. More than 50 heads of state attended the event, which coincided with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi concentration camp, making it the largest diplomatic gathering in Israel’s history.

With the growth of extremism and negationism in Europe, clearly linked to the fading sensitivity and memory of the destruction of the Second World War and the Shoah, Holocaust memory takes on added significance not only as a preservation of the past, but also as a guarantor of a future for our children as Jews and European citizens, sharing the values of democracy, freedom, and tolerance.

We are conscious of our unique responsibility as the second and third generation after the Shoah to observe the 614th commandment of Emil Fackenheim to not give Hitler a posthumous victory. Our presence and visibility as proud Jews in Europe are the greatest testament to this commitment.