NEW YORK, Jan. 27 – Major landmarks across New York City and New York state will be illuminated yellow tonight as part of the World Jewish Congress’ #WeRemember campaign, timed to coincide with International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is today.
The global WJC effort, launched Jan. 20, seeks to educate people about the Holocaust and preserve its memory. At WJC’s request, New York officials have announced that the city and state would be part of the campaign.
“Today is a difficult day, as millions of citizens and public leaders join forces to commemorate one of the most horrible chapters in our collective histories – especially as antisemitism spikes around the globe,” said World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder, adding, “But there is hope. I am grateful to the dozens of international leaders, celebrities, sports figures and influencers who have joined the elected officials from New York – Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams – who have stepped up and made it clear that they stand with the Jewish community.”
Starting at about 6 p.m. EST tonight, the following locations will be illuminated:
- World Trade Center (Manhattan)
- Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge (connects Nyack and Tarrytown)
- Kosciuszko Bridge (connects Brooklyn and Queens)
- The H. Carl McCall SUNY Building (Albany)
- State Education Building (Albany)
- Alfred E. Smith State Office Building (Albany)
- Empire State Plaza (Albany)
- State Fairgrounds – Main Gate & Expo Center (Syracuse)
- Niagara Falls
- The “Franklin D. Roosevelt” Mid-Hudson Bridge (connected Highland and Poughkeepsie)
- Grand Central Terminal - Pershing Square Viaduct (Manhattan)
- Albany International Airport Gateway
- MTA LIRR - East End Gateway at Penn Station (Manhattan)
- City Hall (between Broadway and Park Row, Manhattan)
- David N. Dinkins Municipal Building (1 Centre St., Manhattan)
- New York State Legislative Office Building (250 Broadway, Manhattan)
- Bronx Borough Hall (Third and Tremont avenues)
- Queens Borough Hall (120-55 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens)
The campaign also incorporates the illumination of notable monuments worldwide, including the walls of the Old City and the Knesset in Jerusalem, the Bundestag in Berlin and other European parliaments, as well as the projection of moving messages in public places.
Earlier today, the World Jewish Congress and UNESCO announced a partnership with TikTok to ensure that its community has easy access to authoritative information about the Holocaust. TikTok community members seeking Holocaust-related information will now be directed to the website AboutHolocaust.org, a comprehensive resource developed by the WJC and UNESCO.
Last year’s campaign culminated with Facebook announcing that it would redirect users searching the term “Holocaust” to the online resource.
At the WJC campaign’s core is people writing the words “We Remember” on a sheet of paper, taking a photograph and then sharing it on social media, using the hashtag #WeRemember.
Top global leaders, professional sports organizations, leading cultural figures, corporations and social media companies have already taken part.
Participating entities include European Commission and NATO headquarters, both in Brussels; UNESCO in Paris, where WJC is supporting the launch of the “Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors” photographic exhibition at the organization’s headquarters; and Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg, France.
In addition, 30 sites across Canada will be illuminated tonight in partnership with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.
Cultural figures include Barbra Streisand, Adam Lambert, Victor Garber, Marlee Matlin and the cast of the Netflix show “Fauda.”
The #WeRemember campaign will symbolically end today, at the site of the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Photographs of participants in the campaign will be showcased on a screen erected next to the infamous Auschwitz gate and cattle car, as a testament to the Jewish people’s survival in the face of adversity.
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