This year, International Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed against the backdrop of a global surge in anti-Jewish and anti-Israel hostility not seen in decades. From Chile to South Africa and London to Madrid, nations and cities worldwide have experienced a two-year wave of protests, open incitement, and acts of violence and terror directed at Jews and Israelis. This escalating crisis culminated in the massacre during the Chanukah holiday in Sydney, Australia.
Another disturbing manifestation of this trend emerged in New York City, the largest Jewish city in the world. The newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, rescinded the city’s adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. That this happened in the city where the U.N. General Assembly declared Jan. 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2005 is more than ironic. It underscores the widening gap between symbolic remembrance and practical responsibility.
This gap will likely manifest on the day itself, as communities around the globe pause their daily routines for an hour of reflection and introspection, while leaders don somber expressions. Terms such as “lesson,” “morality” and “responsibility” will echo through carefully choreographed ceremonies. But when leaders are permitted to lament the sins of the past without bearing any cost in the present, then the day risks being hollowed out, losing its moral significance and the original intent of those who established it.
Rather than serve as a warning against the dehumanization that led to the industrial-scale murder of the Jewish people in Europe, the opposite is happening. It’s turning into a systematic attempt to rewrite history so that Jews again become convenient scapegoats for the world’s various ills. When speeches about human rights serve as a cloak for an excuse to exhibit hatred and bigotry toward Israel, we must ask ourselves: Is the world truly commemorating the liberation of Auschwitz, or is it simply trying to ease its conscience so it can continue to turn its back on the Jewish people?
In this light, there is a genuine concern that for some world leaders, International Holocaust Remembrance Day has become little more than lip service. They remember the Jews who suffered in the past but remain willfully blind to those who suffer today.
Mandani’s decision is not merely a local political move; it’s a global warning sign. When the capital of the free world fails to define what constitutes hatred toward Jews, it effectively gives that hatred license to operate. Through his actions, the new mayor not only undermines the legitimacy of Holocaust remembrance itself but also endangers the security of the largest Jewish community outside Israel.
The erosion of the Holocaust’s lessons is no accident. It stems from deliberate efforts by populist forces at both ends of the U.S. political spectrum. On the far right, open sympathy grows for Nazis, racial theories and even Adolf Hitler himself. Conversely, on the extreme left, a systematic Holocaust inversion unfolds, with terms like “genocide” and “Nazism” weaponized against the victims themselves: the people of the State of Israel, a good number of them survivors of the German Nazi Holocaust in the mid-20th century.
Professor Deborah Lipstadt, the U.S. envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism in the Biden administration, long ago identified this U-turn, where the extremes of both major parties converge. Though their ideological mechanisms differ, the outcome is identical. Right-wing populism questions historical facts to fuel an “us-versus-global-elites” narrative; left-wing populism sacrifices Jewish safety on the altar of selective “social justice.”
To keep International Holocaust Remembrance Day from devolving into a hollow ritual, we need sustained, multifaceted education and ethical commitment. This mission must engage a broad audience—from educational leaders and community figures to public opinion shapers and influencers.
We must demand that schools worldwide adopt curricula immersing students in the history of World War II and the Holocaust (and the decades that led to it), blending research with rigorous discussion of morality, responsibility, human rights. We must encourage museums and memorial sites to launch interactive exhibitions highlighting the human and social dimensions of these events. And we must insist that the international community enforce clear standards against history’s rewriting or antisemitic propaganda. Only such concrete actions will transform the meaning behind Jan. 27 into a genuine warning, not an empty ceremonial frame.
In this spirit, the World Jewish Congress continues to lead educational, advocacy and community initiatives that preserve Holocaust memory while transforming it into a catalyst for civic awareness and engagement. A prime example is its collaboration with platforms like Meta and TikTok, directing users to factual Holocaust information via AboutHolocaust.org, a comprehensive resource developed by the WJC and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Within Israel, WJC Israel works to integrate advocacy programs and support initiatives bridging the generational gap, keeping the past’s lessons alive in daily life. On the international stage, WJC continues to combat antisemitism by pressing governments and leaders to protect Jewish communities’ rights. And within the global Jewish world, it strengthens the vital bond between Israel and the Diaspora—our lifeline amid rising hatred.
In the face of a mayor revoking definitions and governments ignoring terror’s warning lights, we must present a strong, unified Jewish front.
For nearly a decade, the World Jewish Congress has led #WeRemember, the world’s largest Holocaust-remembrance campaign. It works to raise awareness across new media and traditional channels, urging people worldwide—from cultural figures to political leaders—to photograph themselves holding #WeRemember signs and share them online.
The purpose of these actions is twofold: to ensure that messages of human dignity and moral responsibility remain alive in the global public sphere, and to draw a clear red line. This line dictates that while criticism of Israeli policy is legitimate, denying the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in their sovereign state constitutes antisemitism.
Only through such proactive endeavors and a vigorous, year-round struggle can International Holocaust Remembrance Day fulfill its true purpose—not as a day of mourning alone, but as a call to action and moral commitment.
On this International Holocaust Remembrance Day, “Never Again” must take on practical meaning. Speeches, ceremonies and gestures are no longer enough if Jews fear wearing a kippah on the streets of New York and European cities. This year, more than ever, memory must become responsibility.
