Holocaust survivors and world leaders gathered in Auschwitz to mark 75 years since its liberation

More than 200 Holocaust survivors joined delegates from world governments and prominent Jewish organizations for commemorations marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Among the attendees of the ceremony at Auschwitz, led by Polish President Andrzej Duda and the head of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald S. Lauder, were Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chairman of the Board of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Aaron G. Frenkel, Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) First Vice President Emmanuil Grinshpun, EAJC Vice President Alexander Bilinkis, EAJC Vice President Boris Lozhkin, EAJC Director-General Dr. Haim Ben Yaakov.

“We at the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress are committed to preserving the memory of the millions of Holocaust victims and preventing a similar tragedy from happening again. Today, I urge the Jewish leaders of the Euro-Asian region to join a constructive dialogue on Holocaust denial and promote legislation and public policies combating antisemitism and racism in general”, – said Euro-Asian Jewish Congress President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili.

After a ceremonial blowing of the shofar, the traditional Jewish memorial prayer, El Maleh Rahamim, was recited. The ceremony was organized by the Auschwitz-Birkenau state memorial museum and the World Jewish Congress.

Euro-Asian Jewish Congress joined the fourth annual #WeRemember campaign launched by the World Jewish Congress, to spark a global dialogue around the need for better, stronger and more widespread Holocaust education. The campaign invited participants to take a picture of themselves holding a sign “We Remember” and then share the photo on social media.