On January 27, the world pauses to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day — a date chosen because, on January 27, 1945, Soviet troops liberated Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp where more than one million Jews were murdered. When the United Nations established this day of remembrance in 2005, it was meant to honor the victims and ensure that the world would “never forget.”
The Jewish people have long embraced the charge of “Never forget,” not as a slogan, but as a moral obligation. It is a responsibility of memory, vigilance, and the protection of human dignity.
For people of faith, Jews and Christians alike, remembering the Holocaust is not optional. And as survivors age and eyewitnesses pass away, our responsibility to educate the next generation becomes even more urgent.
But there is a painful irony in the fact that this day is observed by the United Nations, an institution that has repeatedly strayed from its founding mission to safeguard freedom and defend the vulnerable.
In fact, the U.N. has adopted some of the most aggressively anti‑Israel positions of any international body. It passed the infamous “Zionism is Racism” resolution. It has denied Israel a seat on the Security Council, even as it welcomes nations with appalling human rights records. Of the ten emergency sessions ever called by the General Assembly, six have been about Israel — while genocides in Rwanda, Sudan, and the former Yugoslavia received no such urgent attention.
This contradiction is hard to ignore: How can the U.N. claim to honor the victims of the Holocaust while repeatedly isolating and condemning the Jewish state that rose from its ashes?
The answer is uncomfortable, but necessary to confront. The U.N. has allowed its moral foundations to be manipulated by those who do not share its stated values. The very institution created to protect the free world has, in too many cases, become a platform for those who seek to undermine it.
What we are witnessing at the U.N. is part of a broader trend around the world. Principles meant to uphold truth, dignity, peace, and hope have been twisted by those with malicious intent. People invoke “free speech” not to elevate dialogue, but to spread hatred. Movements that once stood for justice have been co-opted to justify violence or demonize entire communities.
This is not limited to the U.N. It is happening in universities, in public squares, and on social media platforms from the United States to Europe. Foundations built on goodness are being manipulated to flood our world with darkness.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day should be a moment of unity and moral clarity. Indeed, it makes clear how too much of the world treats the Jewish people today.
For the Jewish people, “Never forget” is not simply about remembering the past. It is about ensuring a safer future. It is about recognizing that the Holocaust did not begin with gas chambers — it began with words, with propaganda, with the normalization of hatred.
To honor the victims of the Holocaust is to stand firmly against antisemitism in all its forms, including the political and diplomatic double standards that target Israel. One cannot claim to respect the memory of those who were murdered while simultaneously undermining the safety and legitimacy of their descendants.
There is a nation that rose from the devastation of the Holocaust — a nation that welcomed survivors, gave them refuge, and empowered them to rebuild their lives. Their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren helped create a thriving democracy in the heart of the Middle East. Israel remains the region’s only true democracy, a beacon of freedom and innovation in a part of the world still plagued by tyranny.
Israel is not perfect (of course, no nation is) but it is undeniably a “light unto the nations,” and a testament to resilience, hope, and the triumph of life over death.
As we mark this solemn day, we must confront the truth: remembrance without moral consistency is hollow. Honoring the victims of the Holocaust requires more than ceremonies and speeches. It requires standing against antisemitism, defending the Jewish state, and refusing to allow institutions of peace to become platforms for hate.
The world is facing a resurgence of the very forces that once led to history’s darkest chapter. But the answer to darkness has always been the same: light — the light of truth, the light of courage, the light of unwavering moral conviction.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day should remind us not only of what was lost, but of what must be protected. Memory must lead to action. Remembrance must lead to responsibility. And “Never forget” must mean “Never again,” not just in words, but in the choices we make today.
