Indiana Holocaust Remembrance Day set to go virtual
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Holocaust isn’t something just the Jewish community should remember, but something we all should.
To spread that message, community partnerships are working to keep the Indiana Holocaust Remembrance Day going year after year.
Seventy-five years after the liberations of Auschwitz, most of the survivors alive now were children when it happened. So Holocaust Remembrance Day organizers said it’s not only important for the survivors to tell their stories, but for supporters to step in and keep the history alive.
No matter how many times you see the images of concentration camps being liberated, the happiness is overshadowed by the atrocities we know that happened.
“The fact that the Holocaust happened is not up for debate,” said Lindsey Mintz, executive director with the Jewish Community Relations Council.
We’re losing more and more survivors every year. Eva Kor, who moved to Terre Haute and made Indiana her home, died last year. But it’s stories such as hers that will be remembered at this year’s 22nd annual Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“Important for the breath of society to acknowledge what can happen when discrimination, bigotry are given even just a little bit of oxygen to grow,” said Mintz.
The event is typically at the Statehouse. Candles are lit and names are read to remember the survivors. It’ll all be virtual this year, and, for the first time, present awards to people making strides in pushing for social justice and civil rights. The virtual event will be Nov. 10.
“The thing about identifying people who are doing the work (is) making sure people understand the importance of doing the work because there’s a lot of unsung heroes out there that fight every day for civil rights for social justice,” said Greg Wilson, executive director of the Indiana Civil Rights Commission.
Remembering Holocaust survivors is to remember justice. It’s a widespread conversation happening across America right now. That’s why the Indiana Civil Rights Commission is continuing to partner for this event.
“You can’t just think about civil rights on a day or a particular time; it has to be consistent. We have to stay focused on protecting peoples civil rights,” said Wilson.