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International Holocaust Remembrance Day falls on Wednesday, January 27, 2027. That is 92 days away.

The Holocaust was the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of Jews in Europe by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. Roma, disabled people, Polish civilians, Soviet prisoners of war, gay men and others were also persecuted and killed. This international day of remembrance is marked in the United States as well, by schools, museums, synagogues, civic groups and individuals.

Much of the day is quiet. People light candles, read names aloud, and gather at memorials. Museums and libraries often host talks, film screenings and readings. Survivors, and increasingly their children and grandchildren, share family histories so that the people who were lost are remembered as individuals rather than numbers.

Testimony sits at the center of it. Survivors recorded their memories in books, letters, diaries and filmed interviews, and many of these collections are open to the public. Listening to a single voice describe a home, a street, a school and the people in it can say more than any summary.

Remembrance can also be local. Many American cities have Holocaust memorials, museums or education centers, and some communities hold an annual reading of names. Others place small stones at a memorial, a gesture with roots in Jewish tradition when visiting a grave.

The diary of Anne Frank, written while her family hid in a secret annex in Amsterdam, remains one of the most widely read accounts, and many people return to it each year.

Ways to celebrate

• Listen to a recorded survivor testimony from a museum or archive collection.
• Attend a remembrance ceremony or reading of names in your community.
• Light a candle in memory of those who were murdered.
• Visit a local Holocaust memorial or museum exhibit.
• Read a memoir or diary written by a survivor or victim.

Dates

All national days on January 27

Also on January 27

• National Chocolate Cake Day
• National Geographic Day

Categories: Commemorative days