Holocaust Memorial Day 2025: Remembering the Past, Building a Better Future
Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) this year marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp complex.
It also marks the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia.
These anniversaries serve as stark reminders of the horrors of genocide and the importance of learning from the past to prevent future atrocities. While racism and hatred do not always culminate in genocide, all genocides share common stages, including dehumanization, propaganda, and the creation of an "us vs. them" mentality.
The Holocaust, the systematic persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators, exemplifies the devastating consequences of unchecked hatred.
The genocide in Bosnia, where an estimated 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were systematically murdered in Srebrenica in 1995, highlights the rapid escalation of violence when hatred and prejudice are allowed to fester.
Learning about the Holocaust and other genocides is crucial for several reasons:
- Identifying Warning Signs: By understanding the stages of genocide, we can recognise early warning signs in contemporary society and take proactive steps to prevent such tragedies from occurring again.
- Challenging Prejudice: Learning about the past helps us to understand the destructive nature of prejudice, discrimination, and hate speech. It empowers us to challenge these attitudes and behaviours in our own communities.
- Honouring the Victims: Remembering the victims of genocide ensures that their suffering is not forgotten and that their stories continue to serve as a powerful testament to the importance of human dignity and respect.
Holocaust Memorial Day provides an opportunity for individuals and communities to take concrete action:
- Educate Yourself and Others: Learn about the Holocaust and other genocides through reputable sources, Share your knowledge with others to raise awareness and promote understanding.
- Challenge Hate Speech: Actively confront hate speech, discrimination, and prejudice whenever you encounter them.
- Support Organisations: Support organisations working to combat hate, promote human rights, and prevent future genocides.
- Remember the Victims: Honour the memory of those who were murdered in the Holocaust and other genocides.
By remembering the past and taking action in the present, we can work towards a future where human dignity and respect are upheld for all.
Number of Jewish victims murdered by the Nazis at killing centers
Number of Jewish victims
Chełmno at least 167,000
Belzec approximately 435,000
Sobibor at least 167,000
Treblinka II approximately 925,000
Auschwitz camp complex (including those gassed upon arrival at the Auschwitz-Birkenau killing centre and those who were killed in the camp complex through other means) approximately 1,000,000
Subtotal approximately 2.7 million Jewish people were murdered at killing centres
In total, six million Jews died in the Holocaust.
This number is calculated based on Nazi German documents and pre-war and post-war demographic data.
Non-Jewish groups persecuted by the Nazi German regime and its allies and collaborators
Number of non-Jewish victims
Soviet prisoners of war around 3.3 million
Non-Jewish (ethnic) Poles around 1.8 million
Romani men, women, and children and other people derogatorily labelled as "Gypsies" at least 250,000, but possibly as high as 500,000
Serb civilians murdered by Ustaša authorities of the Independent State of Croatia more than 310,000
People with disabilities living in institutions and care facilities 250,000–300,000, including at least 10,000 children
German political opponents and dissenters tens of thousands
Germans imprisoned in concentration camps as "professional criminals" and "asocials" about 35,000
Jehovah's Witnesses killed in concentration camps or executed for refusing to serve in the German military about 1,700
Gay men, bisexual men, and other men accused of homosexuality Hundreds, possibly thousands
Black people in Germany Unknown, perhaps hundreds