NEW YORK – The illumination of more than 50 sites in more than 20 countries and a live-streaming exhibition at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp marked the end of the World Jewish Congress’ global #WeRemember campaign, timed to coincide with International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which was yesterday.
Global leaders, government bodies, social media companies and leading cultural figures all took part in the weeklong initiative, which sought to educate people about the Holocaust and preserve its memory.
At the 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.
“In the face of global antisemitism, millions of people have declared ‘We Remember,’” said World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder. “Let it be known that at this critical moment, when the memory of the Holocaust is being questioned in new ways and in new forums, the world came together both to remember the horrors that unfolded and to pledge never to repeat them.”
The illuminated landmarks included the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem and the Knesset in Israel; the Bundestag in Germany, the Austrian and Greek parliaments, the European Commission in Brussels, and other institutions and parliaments across Europe; and 1 World Trade Center and Niagara Falls in New York. In Canada alone, 30 were lit up in partnership with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held up a #WeRemember sign while standing alongside a Holocaust survivor. Other illuminated sites in Israel included the Azrieli Center and the electric station, both in Tel Aviv.
The message of #WeRemember resounded in Germany, where Chancellor Olaf Scholz took part and the Bundesrat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense were all illuminated, in addition to the German Parliament. Holocaust survivor Margot Friedlander also shared her story with about 600 German students, through a program created by the WJC.
Participating entities also included the European Parliament and NATO, both in Brussels; UNESCO, a key organizational partner based in Paris, where WJC supported the launch of the “Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors” photographic exhibition at the organization’s headquarters; and Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg, France.
“We want to keep our eyes wide open,” said Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, which illuminated its headquarters. “We want to understand why it happened and how it happened, so it [can] never happen again.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul oversaw the involvement of sites across the state that also included Grand Central Station, Empire State Plaza in Albany, and the Governor Mario M. Cuomo and Kosciuszko bridges.
In connection with the #WeRemember campaign, 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 are now directed to the website AboutHolocaust.org, a comprehensive resource developed by the WJC and UNESCO. Visits to AboutHolocaust.org in 2021 increased almost 400% over 2020.
Other online platforms, including Facebook, have engaged in similar partnerships with the WJC and UNESCO.
In addition, as Google unveiled a new .day domain, the WJC was selected to launch HolocaustRemembrance.day, which directs users to the #WeRemember page.
Leading celebrities took part in the #WeRemember campaign by sharing posts across social media, including Adam Lambert, Barbra Streisand, the cast of Netflix’s Fauda, Victor Garber, Mayim Bialik, Andy Cohen and Marlee Matlin, among others.
The #WeRemember campaign symbolically concluded 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.
#WeRemember illuminations and other displays could be seen in: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Canada, China, Croatia, Colombia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States and Uzbekistan.
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