International Holocaust Remembrance Day Observed Around the World

74 years after the end of World War II, today, Sunday, January 27 (7 Bahman), is marked as "International Holocaust Remembrance Day," with ceremonies held in several countries, especially in Europe, to honor the victims of this policy. This day coincides with the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, where an event was held with the presence of Polish officials, civil and political activists, and Jews at the site of the former camp. The last elderly survivors of the Holocaust and representatives of their subsequent generations also attended this ceremony. Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, wrote in a message on this occasion: "On Holocaust Remembrance Day, we honor the memory of six million Jews and millions of other victims who were killed by the Nazis and their accomplices." Mr. Pompeo added that the U.S. reaffirms its "everlasting commitment to maintaining a world free of anti-Semitism or fear of religions and other minorities." Melania Trump, the First Lady of the United States, also visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington on this day and wrote in a social media message: "We honor the memory of the people who were victims of this tragedy during World War II." The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2005. The railway that transported Jews to the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp is noted. On January 27, 1945, the Soviet Army, part of the Allied forces, entered the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp (in present-day Poland) and liberated its prisoners. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former President of Iran, indirectly contributed to the establishment of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. After Mr. Ahmadinejad repeated the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran's statement about the "destruction of Israel" at the "World Without Zionism" conference in Tehran during the autumn of his first presidential year, many world leaders reacted, and shortly after, the United Nations designated International Holocaust Remembrance Day. When Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, emphasized that the German nation would never forget its guilt regarding the Holocaust, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote a letter to Ms. Merkel asking why she takes responsibility for her ancestors' sins. Ms. Merkel did not respond to this letter. Years before Ahmadinejad raised the issue of Holocaust denial, figures, especially among Europeans, were denying the Holocaust. Robert Faurisson from France, Ernst Zündel from Canada, Roger Garaudy from France, David Irving from England, and Jean-Marie Le Pen from France were the most well-known individuals who risked condemnation in courts in France and Britain and insisted on their beliefs. Most of these Holocaust deniers later had relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and were frequently invited to Iran; their positions were widely reflected in Iranian media, and even unsubstantiated claims were made that Iran had covered financial penalties imposed by Western courts against these individuals. During the presidency of Roman Herzog in Germany, January 27 was designated as "Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nazis" starting in January 1996. In Russia, a military parade is held every year on this day to commemorate the Red Army's victory over the Nazi army. In Israel, Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed on a different date in the spring, but ceremonies are also held on January 27 to remember the victims of the Holocaust. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, has repeatedly used this opportunity over the past decade to announce policies against the Islamic Republic of Iran, implicitly comparing Tehran's leaders to the rulers of Nazi Germany. History tells us that six million people, about two-thirds of the Jewish population in Europe at that time, were killed during the Nazi regime and World War II. The German government executed the massacre of Jews based on a plan called the "Final Solution," by sending Jews to various camps. The Nazis accelerated the implementation of the "Final Solution" starting in 1942, in the middle of World War II. The term "Holocaust" is derived from Greek and means "all-burning."