The holocaust is one of the most tragic events in history. During World War II, over six million innocent Jewish people were murdered by Nazis because they felt racially superior to the Jews. Today, in museums across the country the lives of the people that died in the holocaust are celebrated on a specific day every year. This day is called Holocaust Memorial Day.
Holocaust Memorial Day starts on April 18th and goes through April 19th 2012. It is a day that the United States Congress set up to commemorate and honor all of the lives lost in the holocaust. All of the Holocaust museums have ceremonies in remembrance with Holocaust survivors, members of Congress, White House officials, and community leaders in attendance. Olivia Marks-Woldman stated, “Holocaust Memorial Day is an opportunity for individuals, communities and organizations to mark a despicable period in recent history, and honor the victims and survivors of the Holocaust and other genocides. Ceremonies created anew each year enable all generations to connect with each other and with the past to remember, learn and take a step to ensuring a better future.”
I started becoming very interested in the events that occurred in the holocaust at a young age. After reading several books on the topic and acquiring as much information as I could about it, I finally got the opportunity to visit the holocaust museum in Washington D.C. It was an unforgettable experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. I got the opportunity to talk to one of the handful of holocaust survivors still alive today. He told me about his first hand experience in the holocaust as a child. It was so much more real talking to a survivor than reading about it in books. He still welled up with tears after all those years when talking about the loss of his family. After talking to him I felt more sorrow for all of the people who experienced the terrible events in this war.
After hearing this man’s story and reading the stories of so many others, I now have a tremendous amount of respect for all of the people who lost their lives in the holocaust. I am so happy that The United States has a day every year to commemorate all of the lives lost. Hopefully, this tradition will never die out and the memory will live on forever.