21 January 2025
Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, will observe International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2025 with a series of events and initiatives in Israel and around the world. This year’s commemoration holds profound significance as it marks 80 years since the liberation of the Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau and the conclusion of the Holocaust.
On this solemn day (January 27), designated by the United Nations in 2005, we honor the memory of the six million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered and pay tribute to the resilience and courage of the survivors, who endured unimaginable horrors and have born witness for the last eighty years so that we can ensure that future generations never forget.
Events in Israel
Commemorations in Israel will begin on January 21 with Yad Vashem taking part in an event hosted by the European Union Mission in Israel. The commemoration will take place in Beth Juliana in Herzliya and includes remarks by EU Ambassador Dimiter Tzantchev, Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan and the Director of Beth Juliana, Iris Friedman. The event will highlight the personal story of Holocaust survivor and retired Yad Vashem Archivist Jakub Weksler Waszkinel through a screening of a short film produced by Yad Vashem about his life, followed by a Q&A session.
On January 23, Yad Vashem will hold its annual symposium for the International Diplomatic Corps serving in Israel under the banner "Out of the Depths: The Anguish of Liberation and Rebirth". This symposium will welcome over 50 diplomats and feature opening remarks from Israel's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs MK Sharren Haskel, Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan, and Ambassador of Croatia and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Israel HE Ms. Vesela Mrđen Korać.
Following these remarks, Ms. Eliad Moreh Rosenberg, Curator and Art Department Director of Yad Vashem, will deliver a compelling lecture titled "Living in the Shadow, Creating with the Light: The Anguish of Liberation as Reflected in Art". Her presentation will feature works from Yad Vashem’s renowned art collection, which includes over 14,000 pieces of Holocaust art. The event will conclude with an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of The Shapell Family Collections Center, located within the Moshal Shoah Legacy Campus, both of which were inaugurated this past July 2024.
Press wishing to attend must register in advance with the Communications Division: ari.rabinovitch@yadvashem.org.il
Worldwide
Chairman Dani Dayan and Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council Rabbi Israel Meir Lau will lead a delegation from Yad Vashem to Poland to participate in the official ceremony and events at Auschwitz-Birkenau, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the camp’s liberation.
Following the ceremony, Chairman Dayan will travel to New York City to attend a street naming event for "Yad Vashem Way." He will also join Mayor Eric Adams for a tour of a special exhibition set up by Yad Vashem at City Hall. Additional details are available upon request.
Yad Vashem’s Ready2Print (R2P) exhibition "Auschwitz: A Place on Earth" will be prominently featured at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and the U.N. offices in Austria.
The Ready2Print exhibitions offer an innovative, museum-quality approach to Holocaust education and dialogue and are designed to inspire reflection on the Holocaust’s universal lessons and relevance to 21st-century life. Demand for these exhibitions has surged 25% this year, with requests coming from over 20 countries.
Online Engagement
Yad Vashem continues its annual tradition of launching a dedicated website for International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The platform offers a wealth of resources, including online exhibitions, educational materials, and the IRemember Wall campaign.
By joining Yad Vashem's IRemember Wall, the participant's name will be randomly paired with that of a Holocaust victim from our Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names, which contains over 4.85 million individuals. This project has allowed people worldwide to take part and foster a personal connection with Holocaust remembrance.
