Survivors unite to deliver message on Holocaust remembrance

NEW YORK — Holocaust survivors across the world have united to deliver a message on the dangers of unchecked hate and the importance of remembrance at a time of rising global antisemitism. In a video released Thursday to mark Yom HaShoah -- Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day -- 100 Holocaust survivors asked people to stand with them and remember the Nazi genocide to avoid repeating the horrors of the past. The 100 Word Project statement by Holocaust survivors says: “Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day We all survived the Holocaust We are here to give voice to the six million Jews who were murdered We are a reminder unchecked hatred can lead to actions, actions to genocide Just over 75 years ago, one-third of the world’s Jews were systematically murdered Among them, over 1.5 million children were killed in the name of indifference, intolerance, hate Hatred for what was feared Hatred for what was different We must remember the past or it will become our future On Holocaust Remembrance Day we ask the world to stand with us and remember.” The annual remembrance known as Yom HaShoah is one of the most solemn on Israel’s calendar, with the nation coming to a standstill during a two-minute siren on Thursday morning. It’s the hallmark of being a Holocaust survivor, the very concept of surviving, of everyday problems, of fighting until the end,” said Greg Schneider, executive vice president of the Claims Conference. “And that’s why it’s such an important day in Israel, and around the world for the Jewish community because it symbolizes the fight of certainly the Jewish people, but of any people facing this type of incredible adversity.” The Claims Conference is working with its partners, among them the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, or JDC, to get as many Holocaust survivors out of Ukraine as possible.