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 | 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
Marking 75 years since liberation of Auschwitz, WJC urges world to say: #WeRemember
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 Panel Discussion on Holocaust Denial, Distortion & Trivialization
SPEECHES
REMEMBRANCE EVENTS SUPPORTED BY WJC AROUND THE WORLD
Photo expo dedicated to Holocaust survivors on display at UN in Geneva, with support of WJC
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
Sign up to receive our weekly newsletter
The latest from the Jewish world
