To remind people it is Holocaust Memorial Day

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We should remember and teach our children to remember.

I am so glad holocauat day exists as a very small mark of respect to all the millions who died.

I sat with my 7yo and 10yo yesterday and discussed both Holocaust Memorial Day (and age appropriately discussed why it's important to remember) and discussed the implications of what's going on politically in the US as well. I think children need to know about these things (again in an age appropriate way).

So sorry for all the victims - those both alive and dead.

Sadly, misinformation and lies are rife on Facebook but I refuse to deactivate my account as I feel the need to try to counter them. However, it was when I saw them on Holocaust remembrance posts that my heart chilled over. These were on public pages such as the Labour Party. Most posts - i'd estimate around 85% - were agreeing with the antisemitic lies...on a Holocaust thread. It was sickening. I felt far too fragile to comment and deal with the inevitable comebacks from such uneducated and brainwashed people.

I also would like to say that I believe it is vitally important for children to know- in an age appropriate way - about the cruelties in this world. Only by educating our children do we have any semblance of hope that these atrocities may not be repeated.

The Holocaust Trust has some excellent materials for this- and it covers more than the second world war.

I would also add there was outright Holocaust denial on the Labour Party post that I read. It was sickening.

I honestly feel very fearful about what will happen when the Holocaust passes out of living memory. Denial will become an 'alternative point of view'. Holocaust Memoral Day will be dropped in favour of an 'International Day of Remembrance' or some such mealy mouthed diluted sentiment so that we can 'remember all the atrocities carried out, and anyway, lots of people say the Holocaust didn't happen'. You can see it already on this thread. We learn nothing. I would like to see Holocaust denial become a criminal offence in this country.

I don't mean to suggest that the posters on this thread saying that all other atrocities should be remembered are Holocaust deniers.

I absolutely agree with you, Monkey.

I don't think there is any excuse for children not to be educated in the Holocaust. There are some great films out there and many are exempt from classification so can be viewed by children of all ages. Films like Shoah and Night & Fog should be seen by everyone - maybe a little harrowing for very young children, but certainly older children should view them.

I don't necessarily agree that there should be a special day where everyone is meant to remember the holocaust - it should be something that is thought about when the time feels right. It's not the kind of thing that we should think about today before forgetting about it for another year.

I disagree completely though that holocaust denial should be a crime. Ignorance and stupidity are not crimes. I would like to understand why people don't believe in the holocaust and have the opportunity to convince them why I think they are wrong. Making it illegal to air their views would just drive them further underground - they would only dare to speak when they are with people who they are certain agree with them.

I would also like to know whether holocaust deniers genuinely believe that it didn't happen. I suspect that many of them are less sure of their position than they suggest, that deep down they know that it did happen, and are merely stating their view out of racism because they know it will offend a large section of people that they are happy to offend.

27 January was chosen as the day to commemorate the Holocaust as that was the date that Auschwitz was liberated. Other atrocities and genocides are also remembered on this date but the main one has been and always will be The Holocaust.

The Holocaust was a systematic killing of people (the vast majority of whom were Jewish) in an attempt to wipe Jews of the face of the earth in addition to homosexuals, gypsies and other undesirables, by the Nazis.

In an age where even the Labour Party allow members to state that it 'didn't happen' and people are disputing the successful legal case against Holocaust denier-in-chief David Irving (go see the film Denial, just released) and Donald Trump bans Muslims from entering the USA it is even more important than ever to teach our children what happened between 1933 (when Hitler became Chancellor of Germany) and 1945.

The camps began their existence during the 1930s at the same time that human rights were denied Jews living in Germany. Beware that history doesn't repeat itself.

Holocaust denial is illegal in other countries though. Why not here? There seems to be a growing problem and it needs to be addressed.

It isn't so much a 'special day' - rather it marks the anniversary of the liberation of auschwitz.

My concern with FB - is that it is the main information sharing platform for most young people.
It's full of crap. Holocaust denial posts were becoming more frequent on FB - and FB moderators won't remove them.
I just hope that most young people who read those posts have the sense to ignore them.

Ever since I learned about the Holocaust, I have been asking why we don't talk about it MORE! It was not just Jews that were targeted, had Hitler succeeded to take over our country, Many of us would also be in a camp.
No one has ever suggested other awful things have happened, its not a competition.

Slarti, why don't you start another thread and a campaign to commemorate other atrocities on other days.

Because it's part of the same subject. Moreover, a big part of any remembrance is the sentiment that we will learn from the events. If it turns out that we might not be learning, and that crimes against humanity have continued to be committed since the end of WWII, then I think we should ask why that is.

There seems to me to be a risk that we collectively perform certain remembrances like Holocaust Memorial Day, 9/11 and Remembrance Sunday and feel "job done", when in fact we are forgetting so much more - not just the events themselves but what they represent: that these things have continued. The three I mention above are so indelible in the public consciousness that they almost come to represent Genocide, Terrorism and War, and through our passionate remembrance we discharge our duty to "not forget" those things - we've "done our bit". The crimes against humanity that have been committed since (including by us) are a painful and uncomfortable reminder that we've failed.

Then why not raise consciousness about that separately? It's a bit like coming to your neighbour's funeral and saying actually the most important subject here today is that lots of people around the world don't get to have funerals and so that's what I think we should focus on in today's ceremony.

@pickedCauliflower, this is why I do my best to counter the lies and misinformation but it is like swimming through treacle.

Those who moderate Facebook appear to have no concept of reality. They are quick to ban a picture of a breastfeeding mother deeming it in breech of standards, yet allow blatant Holocaust denial/antisemtism/racism to stand.

It's utterly, utterly depressing.

jews the world over look at holocaust Memorial Day and go 'job done'

Wtaf.

Is that what you think?

If you've resorted to attributing false quotes to me birdy then you're clearly only here to stir things up and not engage in a discussion.

I think her point is slarti that for those of us whose families died and who have survivors and children of survivors in their family, it isn't an abstract chance to say ooh look let's talk about genoicide. It's a chance to remember our relatives killed by hate, ignorance and cruelty. One of my parents lost their grandfather in a camp. He was 52. I am thinking of him this week. Him and all of our other relatives along with those to whom I have no connection.

well I can assure you Jews on the whole don't think 'job done' - So who are you talking about?

The first genocide of the 20th century was the Armenian genocide. In fact it gave hitler his idea for eradicating the disabled, gypsies and Jews. Unfortunately it's never mentioned on this day. In fact the eradication of the disabled and gypsies are never mentioned either. Therefore I agree we need to remember the atrocities committed to the Jews during ww2 it would be nice for us with Armenian heritage to also get a mention on this day. as someone else has mentioned genocide continues, Rwandans, again no mention. Very sad. I could be cynical, but will stop there

I have to broadly agree with itsnot - there are countless atrocities that we choose to forget. Of course we should remember the holocaust, but considering similar crimes against humanity have been committed since then - sometimes by ourselves - makes the whole remembrance ring a bit hollow

I hope we don't forget what terrible things humans are able to do to 'others' . It's happened through history and it's happened very recently.

Surely such horrendous events can't happen again -can they?

Jews on the whole do not think job done. Did anyone watch the antiques roadshow on the holocaust the other week? It was very poignant and highlighted that Jews do not think job done. Our role as children and grandchildren and great grandchildren of survivors is to make sure that our dog is never done, and to remember and understand. I live in an area where any Semitic crime is rife, people are pelted with eggs, windows are smashed routinely just because the people are Jewish. Holocaust is with us every day of our lives and don't think it won't happen again. Anti semitism is rife in this country and all over Europe - 10000 Jews have left France, mainly for Israel, in the last year. Anyone who can belittle this post with quotes like "just another pogrom" doesn't have a clue and unfortunately the Labour Party in the Corbyn form is the acceptable face of modern day anti semitism.

Yet again a thread on the Holocaust gets derailed.....

Anti semitism is rife in this country and all over Europe

This is an inconvenient fact that many like to weep under the carpet.