NEW YORK – More than 650 million people from 155 countries, or 1 out every 11 people on Earth, were reached in the World Jewish Congress' 2018 We Remember campaign launched ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, according to data compiled in three independent evaluations. More than 1.5 million people took active part in the social media initiative, including heads of state, celebrities, religious leaders, and average citizens from around the world. 
The World Jewish Congress on Thursday honored at its executive offices in New York 13 Holocaust survivors who played an integral role in the campaign for their ongoing contributions to preserving the memory of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and all those who suffered at the hands of the Nazis. The survivors were presented with the World Jewish Congress' inaugural 'We Remember Award' by young members of the New Jersey branch of the Israeli Scouts (Tzofim).
As this year's initiative came to a close, World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder said: “Just over seven decades since the Nazis attempted to systematically exterminate the Jewish people, anti-Semitism and xenophobia are on the rise again. As the numbers of survivors among us dwindles, it has become more critical than ever to teach the next generation to bear witness in their names to ensure that this horrific and dark moment in history is never repeated, anywhere in the world. The World Jewish Congress is deeply grateful to the millions of people around the world who joined our movement and embraced our message to remember. Together we must work to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and fight anti-Semitism and hatred wherever they rear their heads.”
"The end of the We Remember campaign is not an end to the conversation about Holocaust memory, it is just the beginning. This initiative reached farther and wider than we could possibility have imagined, growing from a campaign to an incredibly strong and important movement," said WJC CEO and Executive Vice President Robert Singer. "We all have a deep responsibility to keep this discussion going widely and to make sure that the horrors of the Holocaust and the dangers of hatred are heard. The World Jewish Congress thanks each and every person around the world who took part in this initiative, generated the conversations, and spread the message. Because of you, the world knows that we must remember the Holocaust." 
As part of the campaign, which ran January 7-27, the WJC reached out to millions of people across the world to photograph themselves holding a #WeRemember sign, and post the image to social media, to help spread the message as widely as possible. Participants of note included Pope Francis, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid, First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Justice Minister Heiko Maas, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, the Massachusetts State Legislature, First Lady Melania Trump, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, and prominent football teams from Israel and Europe, including the entire Chelsea Football Club and its owner Roman Abramovich, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, as well as Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
Additional participants included representatives of different religions including the head of the German Evangelical Church Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm and the head of the All India Imam Association, ambassadors from Peru, Chile, Australia, Hungary, India, Slovenia, Azerbaijan, Malta, and Armenia, among others, actresses Gal Gadot and Mayim Bialik, reality TV star Siggy Flicker, congressmen, academics, and more. The CEOs of Volkswagon, Siemens, and BMW, three German companies that collaborated with the Nazis during World War II, have also posted their photos and shared the message against anti-Semitism. 
The campaign was launched in 50 countries and 24 languages, including Chinese, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, French, Hebrew, German, and others, and secured media coverage in 40 different languages. We Remember carried out with the support of more than 70 partner organizations, including Chelsea FC, UNESCO, El Al, Magen David Adom, and more.
Approximately 564 million people were reached via through conventional media coverage including television, newspaper, and radio in 40 different languages, and another 90 million were reached via social and digital media and live events, according to the data compiled by independent evaluators Meltwater Media Intelligence, Critical Mention, and Cision.
We Remember culminated on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, with participant photos streamed live on a projection screen on the grounds of Auschwitz-Birkenau for three days.
