75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau - 27 January 2020 - World Jewish Congress

75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau - 27 January 2020

75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau - 27 January 2020
Calendar 27 January 2020

OSWIECIM (Poland), 27 JANUARY 2020 – On the site of former German Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, Ambassador Ronald S. Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) and Chairman of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation (ABMF), delivered a keynote address at the official commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by the Red Army, ringing the alarm bell on the rise of antisemitism, and appealing to world leaders to advance Holocaust education before it’s too late.

As part of the commemoration events, the ABMF -- under Ambassador Lauder’s leadership -- organized a survivors’ delegation of more than 100 Auschwitz-Birkenau survivors and their families from the United States, Canada, Israel, Australia, Latin America and several European countries.

Lauder delivered his remarks on behalf of the Pillars of Remembrance, private donors who support the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation and its mission to preserve the authenticity of the memorial site. Lauder emphasized that it was the scourge of antisemitism combined with world indifference which led to the Holocaust, and urged citizens and government leaders everywhere to speak out against intolerance and hatred.

World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder delivers keynote remarks at the official commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, held at Birkenau on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, 2020. CREDIT: Shahar Azran/WJC

RELATED ARTICLES FROM MEDIA OUTLETS AROUND THE WORLD

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder on CBS

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder on PBS

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder on Fox News

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder in Bild

Auschwitz survivors warn of rising antisemitism 75 years on | The Associated Press

Auschwitz survivors dwindle as the 75th anniversary arrives | The New York Times

At Auschwitz, Holocaust survivors plead ‘Never Forget’ | The New York Times

75 years after Auschwitz liberation, worry that ‘Never Again’ is not assured | The New York Times

Auschwitz 75 years after liberation | The Wall Street Journal

Auschwitz was liberated 75 years ago. Today, antisemitism is reviving | Newsweek

Auschwitz, 75 years later: A race against time | Deutsche Welle

World leaders honor survivors beneath the gates of Auschwitz | New York Jewish Week

OP-EDS

Op-ed by WJC President Ronald S. Lauder in CNN

Op-ed by WJC President Ronald S. Lauder in JTA

Editorial by Andrew Silow-Carroll in The New York Jewish Week

VIDEOS

WATCH | WJC President Ronald S. Lauder addresses the commemoration ceremony for the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau

WATCH | The full commemoration ceremony for the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz

WATCH | Memorial Service at Crematorium IV

WATCH | The 2020 WJC #WeRemember campaign for International Holocaust Remembrance Day

WATCH | The liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau

WATCH | WJC President Ronald S. Lauder visits the Auschwitz memorial site, together with survivors

WATCH | The urgent need for Holocaust education

WATCH | Holocaust survivor Ralph Hakman: The last testimony

PRESS RELEASES

75 Years After the Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, WJC President Ronald S. Lauder Honors Holocaust Survivors at Memorial Site on International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Marking 75 years since liberation of Auschwitz, WJC urges world to say: #WeRemember

27 January 2020: World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder to address Holocaust survivors, dignitaries at 75th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation

#WeRemember: WJC launches fourth annual digital Holocaust education initiative ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day

WJC PANEL DISCUSSIONS

WATCH | WJC Panel Discussion on Preserving Holocaust Memory

WATCH | WJC Panel Discussion on Transmission of Memory

WATCH | Mordecai Paldiel's testimony from Auschwitz-Birkenau

WATCH | WJC Jewish Diplomatic Corps member Gila Baumoehl remarks at Welcome Dinner for Holocaust Survivors

WATCH | WJC Panel Discussion on Holocaust Denial, Distortion & Trivialization

SPEECHES

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder's full address at the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau

Excerpts from WJC President Ronald S. Lauder's address at the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau (January 2015)

Address by German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the ceremony to mark the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of National Socialism in the German Bundestag in Berlin - 29 January 2020

Address by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at the ceremony to mark the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of National Socialism in the German Bundestag in Berlin - 29 January 2020

REMEMBRANCE EVENTS SUPPORTED BY WJC AROUND THE WORLD

WJC’s Russian and EuroAsian affiliates unveil Candle of Remembrance in Jerusalem, honoring the heroes and victims of the Leningrad siege

Photo expo dedicated to Holocaust survivors on display at UN in Geneva, with support of WJC

Marking Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in Rwanda, WJC Jewish Diplomat urges world to stand up against hatred

Marking Holocaust Remembrance Day in Toronto, WJC Jewish Diplomat urges world to stand up against antisemitism online



On January 26, 2020, World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder greets a group of survivors of the former Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp in front of the site’s notorious gate marked “Arbeit Macht Frei” (Work Sets You Free). From left to right: Johnny Jablon, Tova Friedman, Angela Orosz Richt, Yvonne Engelman, WJC President Ronald S. Lauder. CREDIT: Shahar Azran/WJC