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Holocaust Remembrance Day

68 years ago the on January 27, 1945 the Auschwitz–Birkenau death camp was eliberated.

Here you find some stories of survivors, commemorations around the world:

President of Hungary, János Áder addresses a letter to the Jewish Community, saying that the act of commemorating the victims of the death camps meant recognizing that ‘any of us could have been among the innocent victims.’
Find the letter here.

Laló – documentary by István Jávor about a Jewish man who survived Auschwitz. Learn about old Marosvásárhely (today Targu Mures in Romania), where he is from; about the fate of Transylvanian Hungarian Jews; about the war and the Holocaust through this man’s eyes. In Hungarian, no subtitles.
Laló is Lajos Erdélyi, famous photographer from Marosvásárhely. His memoires have been published in a book also, introduced to the public on January 31 at 6pm in the Balint House (Budapest, Révay street 16.).
The event on FB here.
Fragment from the book here.

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International Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day

The first Romas were sent to Auschwitz in 1941. In February 1943, a Gypsies’ camp was set up in the Birkenau camp which imprisoned Roma people from 14 countries.

April 8th was the day when the first international Roma congress, with 23 delegates from 10 countries, was organized to commemorate the Gypsy victims of the Holocaust in Oprington, next to London in 1971. On the initiative of the representatives of India April 8th was chosen to be the Day of the Roma Nation, to remember all the Gypsies who have left the homeland and have been wandering since for over 1000 years. The Gypsy flag and the hymn were chosen and the language became officially recognized. Since then April 8th is the day of different anti – racism, discrimination and war campaigns.

In 1990, on the 4th world congress in Serock, next to Warsaw April 8th, the day of the first congress was recognized as a Roma holiday.
Many Gypsies in numerous countries celebrate the wandering on festivals, throwing flowers and candles into the river where they live and follow their way until they can.

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Raoul Wallenberg 1912 – 2012

On January 17th in the Hungarian National Museum the Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Year was launched. Hosts of the event: minister for Foreign Affairs in Hungary Janos Martonyi and in Sweden Carl Bildt, guest of honor Yoseph Peled minister from Israel.

Calendar of events:

– January 17: ‘To me there’s no other choice – Raoul Wallenberg 1912 – 2012’ Swedish photo exhibition opened (this is the day he was last seen on in Hungary)
– January 27: UN Holocaust remembrance day
– 14 February: Seminar on Raoul Wallenberg´s activities in Budapest. Seminar organised by Living History Forum and City of Lidingö, Stockholm
– April 15th: Wallenberg commemorative concert in front of the House of Terror Museum (www.terrorhaza.hu). March of the Living, a march along the streets of Budapest down to the Danube embankment to remember the victims of the Holocaust (www.eletmenete.hu).
– April 16th: Hungarian Holocaust remembrance day
– April 17th: 25th Auschwitz – Birkenau Pilgrimage
– May 10th: Wallenberg stamp issued by the Hungarian and the Swedish Post
– May 15th: research conference: “Can we say no?” in the Holocaust Documentation Center (www.hdke.hu).
– June 16th: planned conference on democracy and human rights
– August 4th (Wallenberg’s birthday): “Righteous among the Nation´s award” meeting for Hungarian citizens who have been presented the “Righteous among the Nations” award in the Holocaust Memorial Center
– August 5th: memorial evening in the Dohany street synagogue
– September 9th: Raoul Wallenberg 100 – evening
– November 18th: charity concert in the Dohany street synagogue

For more details and events connected to the Raoul Wallenberg 2012 memorial year please visit : http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/15418