Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom HaShoah in Hebrew, is marked this year from April 27 evening to April 28. On this day, people around the world gather to commemorate the millions killed by the Nazis during World War II.
Over the course of the Holocaust, Nazi Germany slaughtered 6 million Jews, as well as millions of Roma, Slavs, gay people, individuals with disabilities and political enemies, according to Britannica. Today, communities, museums and synagogues mark Yom HaShoah by holding ceremonies that emphasize the importance of remembering what happened during the Holocaust.
Local governments and schools also often host Holocaust Remembrance Day events. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum also carries out remembrance events.
In honor of the day and the focus on remembrance, here are 10 quotes – courtesy Goodreads – by survivors, writers and leaders.
1. “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” — Elie Wiesel
2. “Blessed is the match consumed in kindling flame. Blessed is the flame that burns in the secret fastness of the heart. Blessed is the heart with strength to stop its beating for honor’s sake. Blessed is the match consumed in kindling flame.” — Hannah Senesh
3. “Six million of our people live on in our hearts. We are their eyes that remember. We are their voice that cries out. The dreadful scenes flow from their dead eyes to our open ones. And those scenes will be remembered exactly as they happened.” — Shimon Peres
4. “Thou shalt not be a victim, thou shalt not be a perpetrator, but, above all, thou shall not be a bystander.” — Yehuda Bauer
Read the article by Suman Varandani in the International Business Times.