Each year on January 27th, the world pauses to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945. It is a solemn moment — not only to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, but also the millions of others who were systematically persecuted and killed by the Nazi regime. This date stands as one of history’s darkest reminders of what happens when hatred is allowed to fester unchecked and when civilized society looks away.
This day is not merely about memory. It is about responsibility.
As the generation that witnessed the Holocaust fades from living memory, the obligation to preserve its lessons falls to us. Remembrance must be active, not ceremonial. It must challenge complacency and confront the uncomfortable truth that the Holocaust did not begin with gas chambers. It began with ideas, with rhetoric, with the gradual normalization of dehumanization and exclusion. It began when people were sorted into categories, stripped of individuality, and judged not by who they were, but by what they were said to represent.
My own family history is rooted in that era. They lived through World War II in Europe, witnessed unspeakable brutality, and risked their lives to save Jews being persecuted. They later came to America believing it to be a nation built on individual dignity, moral clarity, and the rule of law — a country where such horrors could never be repeated. That belief shaped their lives and, in many ways, shaped mine.
Yet today, we would be foolish to assume that the conditions that enabled the Holocaust exist only in history books.
Across our culture, particularly among younger generations, we see a growing tendency to reduce people to categories — to judge individuals not by their actions or character, but by group identity. This mindset, often presented as enlightened or “progressive,” fuels resentment, encourages collective blame, and erodes the moral foundations of a free society. It replaces moral clarity with moral relativism and substitutes grievance for accountability.
History teaches us exactly where that road leads.
The Holocaust was not the product of ignorance alone. It was the result of ideologies that divided the world into oppressors and victims, that justified cruelty in the name of grievance, and that encouraged ordinary people to rationalize silence. When society abandons the principle that every individual possesses inherent worth, atrocities become possible — and eventually inevitable.
That is why Holocaust remembrance must be paired with education and moral clarity. Young people must understand not only what happened, but how it happened — and why it matters now. The Holocaust should never be reduced to slogans, nor filtered through modern ideological lenses that distort its meaning. It must be taught honestly, fully, and without political manipulation.
That’s why my son and I started the Next Generations Project. We believe an organization led by the children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors could play a critical role in this effort. They ensure that remembrance remains personal and human rather than abstract. Their work reminds us that memory is not inherited automatically; it must be intentionally preserved and passed forward. Without that effort, truth becomes vulnerable to denial, distortion, and indifference.
Holocaust Remembrance Day should also prompt serious self-examination. Are we willing to speak out when we see antisemitism — whether it comes from the extremes of the right or the left? Are we prepared to challenge narratives that excuse hatred when it is cloaked in fashionable language or political activism? Are we committed to defending free expression and equal treatment for all, even when doing so is uncomfortable or unpopular?
“Never again” is not a slogan. It is a commitment — one that demands vigilance, courage, and moral consistency. It requires rejecting any worldview that justifies hatred, excuses violence, or normalizes the silencing of dissent.
On January 27th, we honor the victims of the Holocaust by remembering their names and their stories. But we honor them even more by refusing to tolerate the ideas that led to their destruction. Remembrance without resolve is hollow. Memory without action is insufficient.
The lesson of the Holocaust is timeless and universal: when hatred is normalized and truth is compromised, civilization itself is at risk.
Let us remember — and let us act – and let us never forget.
Saulius “Saul” Anuzis is President of the International Institute and of the 60 Plus American Association of Senior Citizens. He was chairman of the Michigan Republican Party from 2005–2009 and was also a candidate for national chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2009 and 2011, as well as a Member of the RNC from 2005–2012. He is the founder of the Next Generations Project.
Source: Holocaust Remembrance Day: Not Just Memory — A Call to Moral Courage
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