Remembering Holocaust horrors

BENGALURU: The Consulate General of Israel to South India hosted a ceremony commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day with the participation of government officials, foreign diplomats, and clergy at the Bengaluru International Center, Domlur, recently. The hybrid ceremony was attended both physically and online, as to these times call for minimum physical attendance. 

Heads of diplomatic missions from the US, the UK, Germany, France, Switzerland, Japan, Netherlands, and Canada, as well as clergy from various religious communities – Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Bahai, Sikh, Zoroastrian, and Jewish – also lit memorial candles, either physically at the event or over video conference call. The Jewish Rabbi offered a prayer for the souls of those who perished.

Consul General of Israel to South India, Jonathan Zadka, said: “We gathered here to commemorate those who were murdered in the Holocaust and also raise awareness of the atrocities that can happen if we, as a community, do not fight hatred and racism. It warms my heart to see the broad attendance from government, diplomatic missions, and clergy, showing that we are all here to fight for a better future together.”

In 2005, the UN declared January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The date marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau by Soviet troops in 1945.