Other Events
2019
Addressing and preventing antisemitism through education
Secretary-General's remarks at Interfaith Gathering: “United Against Hate”
2018
Panel discussion on the occassion of the 75th Anniversary of the Rescue of the Bulgarian Jews
10 March is designated by decree of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria as the Day of the Rescue of the Bulgarian Jews and of the Victims of the Holocaust and of the Crimes against Humanity. A panel of Holocaust survivors and representatives of Jewish organizations, academia, filmmaking, and diplomatic community will discuss the rescue of 48,000 Bulgarian Jews during the Holocaust. Speakers included H.E. Mr. Georgi Panayotov, Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the United Nations, Ms. Kimberly Mann, Chief, Education Outreach Section, United Nations Department of Public Information, Mr. Harry D. Wall, former ADL Director, Israel and former Associate Director, International Relations; Board Member, The Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights, Dr. Joseph Benatov, Jewish Studies Program, University of Pennsylvania, Ms. Elka Nikolova, Movie Director and Producer, Mr. Chaim Zemach, Holocaust survivor, Dr. Shirley Gatenio Gabel, Fordham University.
2017
The "State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda" - Holocaust poster exhibition goes on display in Hungary
2016
Sir Nicholas Winton is one of six British Humanitarians honoured by Royal Mail with stamps
Sir Nicholas Winton is one of six British Humanitarians honoured by Royal Mail with stamps
The Royal Mail releases a stamp set honouring British humanitarian who has devoted their lives to helping others. Sir Nicholas Winton, a man who saved the lives of hundreds of Jewish children during the Holocaust, is featured in a new set of stamps. The six Mint Stamps comprise striking contemporary monochrome portraits of Nicholas Winton; Sue Ryder, John Boyd Orr, Eglantyne Jebb, Joseph Rowntree and Josephine Butler.
Sir Nicholas Winton – A Timeless Example of Truly Brave Humanism
In an operation later known as the Czech Kindertransport (German for “children transportation”), Nicholas Winton organized the rescue of 669 mostly Jewish children from Czechoslovakia just prior to the Second World War. He found foster homes for the children and arranged their safe passage to Britain. At the end of the war, almost all of children he saved children were orphans. They still call themselves “Winton’s children”.
Sir Nicholas Winton with one of the children he saved
For 50 years, Nicholas Winton never spoke about his efforts to rescue these children. It was only after his wife found a scrapbook in their attic containing the records of names and pictures that the rescues were made public. He was then made a member of the Order of the British Empire. He passed away on 1 July 2015 at the age of 106.
Sir Nicholas Winton in 2014
In 2012 in New York and 2014 in Nairobi, the United Nations organized screenings of the film Nicky’s Family to educate audiences about Sir Nicholas and all that he represented. The Holocaust Outreach Programme will continue to keep his legacy alive.
The United Nations is honoured to have been associated with Sir Nicholas Winton through his work with the International Refugee Organisation in 1947.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recognized Sir Nicholas Winton’ extraordinary actions in a condolence letter he wrote to his daughter, Ms. Barbara Winton (full text of the Secretary-General’s letter). “This powerful exercise of personal responsibility during societal calamity can inspire us all as we confront the many crises in our world,” he said.
Sir Nicholas Winton saw himself as an ethical individual who responded as anyone should to the terrible events unfolding around him. The Secretary-General closed his letter by noting that thousands of people are alive thanks to Sir Nicholas Winton, “who left our world a timeless example of truly brave humanism.”
Sir Nicholas Winton with rescued children
Remembering Joseph Koek, Holocaust Survivor
2015
Exhibit opening “Holocaust of the Roma People”
Cristina Gallach, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, delivered remarks at the opening of "Holocaust of the Roma People" on 11 September 2015. The exhibition was organized by the Permanent Mission of Hungary to the United Nations in New York.
Ambassador Katalin Bogyay, Permanent Representative of Hungary, welcomed participants to the event. Also in attendance were Dr. István Mikoa, Minister of State for Security Policy and International Cooperation and Mr. Laszlo Teleki, Member of Parliament and former State Secretary for Roma Affairs.
The exhibition included a selection of paintings, drawings, and sculptures by four Jewish artists who survived Hitler’s concentration camps, as well as a series of portraits and photographs of Roma and Sinti people who were killed by the Nazi regime.
Participants viewing the exhibit Cristina Gallach, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information
During the opening, Under-Secretary-General Gallach said, “It is my honour and privilege to welcome you to the opening of this powerful exhibit marking the tragedy of the Roma population during the Holocaust. This exhibit is a testimony to events of great and terrifying significance, events that resulted in the deaths of millions. The Holocaust holds universal lessons and reminds us all that human beings are capable of great cruelty, but also of great bravery, compassion and strength.”
Antal Kopár (guitar) Béla Horváth (violin)
She also noted, “The Roma and Sinti communities have long fought to have their suffering recognized, and I am pleased that we continue to raise awareness with the opening of this exhibit today.”
This is the second exhibit on the "Pharrajimos" that the United Nations Department of Public Information was invited to open at the Permanent Mission of Hungary to the United Nations. The first was held on 26 January 2009.
Participants at the Permanent Mission of Hungary to the United Nations
Opening remarks Cristina Gallach, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information
Statement by Dr. István Mikola, Minister of State for Security Policy and International Cooperation
Statement by Mr. Lászlo Teleki, Member of Parliament and former State Secretary for Roma Aff
2014
Holocaust Survivor Roman Kent Honoured with the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
On 22 May 2014, Holocaust survivor Roman Kent was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. German Consul General Busso von Alvensleben presented the award at a ceremony in New York City for Mr. Kent’s "unparalleled efforts in serving fellow survivors and keeping the memory of the Shoah alive".
German Consul General Busso von Alvensleben and Roman Kent. Photo: Jörg Windau.
Roman Kent. Photo: Jörg Windau.
Mr. Kent, a great friend and supporter, has contributed greatly to many activities of The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme. Always present at the Programme’s events, Mr. Kent introduced Holocaust survivor Gerda Weissman Klein at the first Holocaust Memorial Ceremony held in the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York by the newly established Programme in 2006. In 2012, Mr. Kent was also the keynote speaker at an event to introduce the IWitness learning and teaching tool organized by the Programme and the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education at United Nations Headquarters in New York. IWitness is an interactive online application which provides a searchable collection of video testimonies of Holocaust survivors, along with educational tools and supporting resources for students. Twelve classes from secondary schools in the New York metropolitan area were invited to create a research project using IWitness and meet Mr. Kent personally.
Roman Kent (right) reads the UN Charter as his granddaughter lights a candle in remembrance
of the 6 million victims of the Holocaust. UN Photo/Mark Garten
Mr. Kent, who serves as President of the International Auschwitz Committee (IAC), also provided valuable suggestions for the visit of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s visit to Auschwitz Birkenau – German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945). Mr. Ken’ts life-long friend Marion Turski, Vice-President of the IAC, played a pivotal role in the visit when he shared his story of survival as he accompanied the Secretary-General on a tour of the camp.
Mr. Ban is flanked by Yisrael Meir Lau (left), Holocaust survivor and Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, and Marian Turski, also a survivor of the Holocaust and Vice-President of the International Auschwitz Committee. UN Photo/Evan Schneider
As President of The Jewish Foundation of the Righteous (JFR), Mr. Kent enthusiastically lent his support to a partnership that the Holocaust Programme established with the JFR to produce its Rescue Posters, teachers' guide and student hand-outs in English, French, Russian and Spanish for use in educational activities organized by the United Nations Information Centres around the world. Stories of the individual rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust accompany the posters, which convey the values of self-sacrifice, integrity and moral courage, offer a universal lesson on the importance of the preservation of human dignity and the protection of human rights.
Upon accepting the award from the Consul General, Mr. Kent mentioned how his time in the concentration camps influenced his life and how he was able to rise above that experience to build a future with his wife Hannah, who was also imprisoned as a young child in Auschwitz. In reflecting on the transition that Germany has made from Nazism, he noted that “both of us, survivors and the present generation [of young Germans], do not want our past to be our children’s future”. Mr. Kent, who played a key role in negotiating reparations for Holocaust survivors that are being paid by Germany, said that he was honoured to receive this award and expressed his appreciation for the path of remembrance and moral acceptance of responsibility that Germany has taken since the since the era of the Nazism. “It must be commonplace to oppose anti-Semitism and xenophobia, racism and extreme nationalism”, he said.
Roman Kent with his wife Hannah and family members. Photo: Jörg Windau.
Mr. Kent was born in Lodz, Poland, in 1920s. After Hitler’s invasion of Poland, he spent the war in the Lodz ghetto and then in the concentration camps of Auschwitz, Gross-Rosen and Flossenbürg, where he was eventually liberated by American soldiers. He arrived in the United States in 1946 under the United States Government’s “Displaced Persons Act”. He continues to work on behalf of his fellow survivors as Chairman of the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Treasurer of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany.
Roman Kent with Kimberly Mann, Manager of the UN Holocaust Programme,
and David Marwell, Director of the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Photo: Jörg Windau.
Roman Kent acceptance speech, 22 May 2014
Speech honouring Roman Kent, 22 May 2014
2013
UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon Visits Auschwitz Birkenau. German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945)
In visit to former Nazi death camp, Ban affirms value, dignity of each human life
[UN News Centre, 18 November 2013] - Visiting the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland, where over a million Jews and members of other minorities perished during the Second World War, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged that its victims be honoured by ensuring dignity and fundamental freedoms for all.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Mrs. Ban lay a white rose bouquet on the International Monument
to the Victims at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp. UN Photo/Evan Schneider
“Auschwitz-Birkenau is not simply a register of atrocities,” Mr. Ban said. “In this haunting silence, we see the remnants of human life, we hear the cry of history and humanity. And through all of this, it becomes ever more clear that every life is precious. Every person matters,” he stressed.
“For our shared future, let us embrace our common duty as members of the human family to build a world of peace, justice, equality and human dignity for all,” he added.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on his visit to the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland. UN Photo/Evan Schneider
The Secretary-General's visit to the notorious death camp came following a trip to the Baltic States and on his way to Warsaw to attend the UN climate change conference there.
He said that nothing can truly prepare a person for a visit to what he called “the epicentre of evil, where systematic murder unique in human history reached its atrocious climax.”
“I stare at the piles of glasses, hair, shoes, prayer shawls and dolls, and try to imagine the individual Jews and others to whom they belonged,” he said. I stand in disbelief before the gas chambers and crematorium – and shudder at the cruelty of those who designed this death factory,” he added.
Reasserting the need to remember the genocide against European Jews as well as the slaughter of Poles, Roma and many others during the war, he noted that hatred and persecution has not ended, having taken a terrible toll in Cambodia, Srebrenica and Rwanda.
Mr. Ban speaks at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum. UN Photo/Evan Schneider
Even today, the fire smoulders, he stated, noting that anti-Semitism retains its hold in too many places. In Europe and elsewhere, migrants, Muslims, Roma and other minorities face rising discrimination – and find too few defenders.
“The world must never forget, deny or downplay the Holocaust,” he said. “We must remain ever on our guard. And we must do more, far more, to promote equality and fundamental freedoms.”
The Secretary-General and Mrs Ban also searched for the name of Petr Ginz in the Book of Names located in the Jewish Pavilion at Auschwitz I. Petr, the subject of a student study guide produced by the Holocaust and the UN Outreach Programme, was a writer and artist, who was murdered in Auschwitz at age 16.
The date of the 1945 liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, 27 January, was designated by the UN General Assembly in 2005 as the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust.
[Op-ed] A Heart-Rending Visit to Auschwitz Inspires Hope
2011
Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Kiyo Akasaka Visits Holocaust Memorial in Budapest
On 14 July 2011, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Public Information, Kiyo Akasaka visited the Holocaust Documentation and Memorial Centre in Budapest, Hungary. The Centre’s primary mission is threefold: to keep the memory of the Holocaust in Hungary alive, to research about the Holocaust and to promote Holocaust education. While in Hungary for a number of Departmental initiatives, USG Akasaka visited the Centre's permanent exhibition on the history of the Holocaust in Hungary and discussed opportunities for cooperation between the Centre and United Nations in their shared mission of encouraging education about and remembrance of the Holocaust. He was accompanied by Jaya Dayal, Special Assistant to the Under-Secretary-General, and by colleagues from the United Nations Information Service in Vienna, Sonja Wintersberger, Information Officer, and Krisztina Liwa-Horváth, Hungarian language information representative.
USG Akasaka views the wall of Holocaust victims names with Szilvia Dittel of the Holocaust Documentation and Memorial Centre
USG Akasaka records his visit to the Holocaust Documentation and Memorial Centre
(from left) Prof. György Haraszti, Chairman of the Board, Dr. János Botos, Deputy Director, Kiyo Akasaka, USG for Communications and Public Information, Prof. Szabolcs Szita Executive Director, Jaya Dayal, Special Assistant to USG, Szilvia Dittel, the Holocaust Documentation and Memorial Centre
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visits United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon resolved to work harder to help prevent genocide during his visit to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., on 28 February 2011. While there, he toured the Museum’s permanent exhibition on the Holocaust and met with reporters. At the Museum’s display on contemporary genocide, From Memory to Action, he made a written pledge to "write a new history for all mankind" by helping to ensure that future generations will not experience the horror of genocide. The Secretary-General also lit candles in the Museum’s Hall of Remembrance in memory of the six million Jews and other victims murdered by the Nazis during World War II.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon tours the Tower of Faces (the Yaffa Eliach Shtetl Collection) at
the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C., guided by Museum Chief of Staff Bill Parsons. UN Photo / Eskinder Debebe.
In a statement following his visit to the Museum, UN Secretary-General Ban said: “Seventy years ago, six million people were brutally murdered at the instigation of a state… In other areas civilians are being killed as they stand for democracy. And we, nations united, stand with them… “Never again” is a clarion call to moral action. History’s most tragic chapters are written when we fail to heed that call. Let us not fall short... Together, let the world speak loud and clear -- through action”.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lights a candle in the Hall of Remembrance at
the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington D.C. UN Photo / Eskinder Debebe.
The US Holocaust Memorial Museum is a valued partner of the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme, and has worked together with the UN's Programme on various Holocaust and genocide-related educational activities, including a week-long training seminar for United Nations Information Officers in Latin America in 2007, the interactive panel discussion titled "Saving Succeeding Generations” in 2008 and the exhibition "Deadly Medicine", which the Museum sponsored at United Nations New York Headquarters in observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust in 2009.
Secretary-General's comments at the Holocaust Museum
B'nai B'rith International UN Advocacy Days
B’nai B’rith International, the world’s oldest Jewish communal and humanitarian organization, has been engaged with the United Nations since it was founded, and maintains an office dedicated to liaising with the Organization. B’nai B’rith International's "UN Advocacy Days" programme brings to New York dozens of representatives of B’nai B’rith International from more than 50 countries to meet with ambassadors, other diplomats and United Nations officials to discuss global developments. In his message to the participants in the programme, delivered by Chef de Cabinet Vijay Nambiar at a reception on 23 May, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the group's commitment to tolerance and service complements the United Nations global mission of development, human rights and peace. He thanked B’nai B’rith International for its support, emphasizing that “this is an era that places a premium on working in common cause for common solutions. We do so as a matter of pragmatic burden sharing, but also because we are fated to live more of our lives in common”, he said. The Secretary-General also reiterated the Organization's commitment to combating Holocaust denial, anti-Semitism and hatred, saying that ‘“Never again” is a call to action for our time, too -- for all people, anywhere. He also made reference to the recent genocide prevention event with Francis Deng, the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, and John Prendergast, co-founder of the Enough project, that was organized by the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme on 20 May 2011. This event, along with his own visit to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and that of Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro to Auschwitz earlier this year are a fundamental part of the mission of the United Nations, he said.
Kimberly Mann, Manager, United Nations Holocaust Programme
Kimberly Mann, manager of the Holocaust Programme, also spoke at the diplomatic reception. Recognizing B’nai B’rith International as one of the Programme's valued partners, she thanked the organization for its contribution to Holocaust Remembrance efforts at the United Nations. Each year, B’nai B’rith organizes a panel discussion at the Organization's New York Headquarters on the day of the annual memorial ceremony. Topics of these discussions have ranged from Holocaust education and interreligious responses to the Holocaust today, to the story of rescuers and rescued. She also expressed her appreciation for the goodwill and positive relationship that the two institutions have enjoyed since the establishment of the United Nations Holocaust Programme in January 2006.
Message from United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Delivered by Mr. Vijay Nambiar, Chef de Cabinet
A Conversation with USG Francis Deng and John Prendergast on Genocide Prevention
On 20 May 2011, United Nations Department of Public Information organized a public event "A conversation with USG Francis Deng and John Prendergast on Genocide Prevention" for students, educators and those interested in helping to stem violence around the world. After the discussion, Mr. Prendergast signed his newest book Unlikely Brothers, which was written with Michael Mattocks. Told in duet, the book tells the story of Michael growing up on the toughs streets of Washington D.C. and follows John's travels to war zones in Africa. Their friendship would continue for over twenty-five years and would have an extremely significant effect on their paths to redemption. Mr. Prendergast, who believes that this experience had a profound influence on his future path in life, is today a leading human rights activist and co-founder of Enough, a project to end genocide and crimes against humanity.
The most recent book by United Nations Under-Secretary-General Francis Deng, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, is also available in the UN Bookshop. His book titled Sudan at the Brink: Self-Determination and Nation Unity, offers an analysis of the situation in Southern Sudan, Africa, and addresses the complex dilemmas confronting Sudan and the international community over the critical choice regarding unity or secession before January 2011 referendum.
From One Generation to the Next: What Can We Learn from the Holocaust?
The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme is launching a new community initiative titled, "From One Generation to the Next: What Can We Learn from the Holocaust?"
University students, parents, grandparents and Holocaust survivors are invited to help us further understanding of the Holocaust and its relevance today among younger students by contacting local schools and student organizations to screen the programme's educational film," Footprints: Discovering the Holocaust through Historical Artefacts", and lead a discussion on the dangers of hatred and racism today. As a follow up activity, students can express themselves artistically by drawing or sending their thoughts and questions to the United Nations by contacting us.
Ms. Gloria Fischel giving a presentation on the Holocaust to 5th Grade, Panther Run Elementary School, Wellington, Florida
Mrs. Gloria Fischel, our first "From one Generation to the Next" leader, is a grandmother and an active representative of Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, to the United Nations. She recently visited Panther Run Elementary School in Wellington, Florida, where she talked to a class of fifth grade students about the history of the Holocaust and showed them the film, " Footprints: Discovering about the Holocaust through Historical Artefacts".
As a follow up activity, the students wrote letters to Ms. Fischel about her visit to the school, which she shared with us:
"Dear. Ms. Gloria, I learned that people back then were not treated as well as they should have been [...] Thank you for coming to our class." Pierson
"Dear Grandma Tickle, Thank you for speaking to our class [...] It was important that you came so we will never forget about that time, and that the information will try to stop it from ever happening again." David
"Dear Ms. Gloria Fischel, Thank you for visiting our class and teaching us about the Holocaust. I learned that people still deny Holocaust today. It doesn’t make sense that people would deny it if there were proof that it happened." Bryce
"Dear Ms. Gloria Fischel, Thank you for speaking to our class. I have a question about how the Jews were killed and why the United States [and other countries] didn’t bother to help the Jews. I’ve been wanting to find the answer to that question for a long time." Eric
"Dear Ms. Gloria Fischel, Thank you for speaking to our class. I’d like to know more about what makes people be mean to one another and why Hitler didn’t like the Jews. I also want to learn more about why the Nazis listened to Hitler and obeyed him. Have a nice day." Ryan
"Dear Ms. Gloria Fischel, I learned a lot about the Holocaust [...] I really enjoyed having you in our class." Danny
"Dear Ms. Gloria Fischel, Thank you for speaking to our class! During our talk about bullying, I learned vital information. I realized that the Holocaust can happen again. I learned that you have to speak up and take action at the first sign of bullying, to prevent it from going any farther. And if it’s not you being bullied, help the victim, because you can be the victim next time. I also found the video very interesting. It was fascinating how just from one little shoe, we can think of who wore it, and his journey. Again, thank you for coming in, and I hope you can talk to many other children too." Danielle
"Dear Ms. Gloria Fischel, Thank you for speaking to our class [...] I learned a lot about the Holocaust and how the Nazis were mean to people who were a little different from everyone else. Thanks again." Jake
2010
Anne Frank Twitter Campaign
Help us to honour the memory of Anne Frank, who died in the Holocaust 65 years ago in March 2010. Anne was a young German-Jewish girl who kept a diary to record her struggle to make sense of World War II, and why the Jewish people were being persecuted under the Nazi regime. She shared her personal thoughts about the people she loved, her fear of death and her hopes and dreams in life.
While many of the European Jews had been arrested and sent to concentration and death camps, Anne was hiding with her family and others in an annex of rooms above her father’s office in Amsterdam for two years. Take an online tour of the secret rooms. After the group was betrayed and discovered by the Nazis, they were transported to concentration camps. Anne and her sister Margo died of typhus at the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen in March 1945. Anne was just 15 years old.
Here is a passage from her diary:
"It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.
It’s utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more"
- July 15, 1944
photo credit © AFF/AFS
If Anne Frank had had a way to receive Tweets while in hiding and could have been communicating in secret with other young people in the world about the persecution and hatred that her family and friends were experiencing,
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What messages of support would you have sent Anne?
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What would you have told Anne that you have learned from her life and experience?
Tweet your message to the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme at @UNandHolocaust (*)
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The event also marks Yom Ha Shoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day on the Jewish calendar, observed on 11 April 2010. The United Nations observes this day on 27 January (annual International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust) as mandated by UN General Assembly Resolution 60/7, to mark the liberation of the concentration and death camp Auschwitz in Nazi-occupied Poland.
"Anne Frank's persona and legacy lives on in her diary, which still talks to people all over the world in over 70 languages. It touches people on many levels and her thoughts are that of a 15 year old girl, who found her voice in her writing. Let's meet Anne's writing on the level she intended it to, with contemporaries, in a language that is universal and can be understood by all." - Yvonne Simons, Executive Director, Anne Frank Center USA
This twitter campaign is co-sponsored by the Anne Frank Center USA. Founded in 1977, The Anne Frank Center USA, a partner organization of the Anne Frank House, uses the diary and spirit of Anne Frank as unique tools to advance her legacy, to educate young people and communities about the consequences of intolerance, racism and discrimination, and to inspire the next generation to build a world based on mutual respect. The Center fulfills its mission through the North American Traveling Exhibition Program, the Exhibition and Education Center in New York City, the Annual Spirit of Anne Frank Awards, and through the development of educational materials and programs for teachers and students.
Press Release: United Nations launches Twitter Campaign with Anne Frank Center USA (29 March 2010)
UN News Article: UN turns to social media to raise awareness about Holocaust (29 March 2010)
2009
Stolen Youth: Five Women's Survival in the Holocaust
1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. 28 January 2009 UN Book Shop Event
Mrs. Frances Irwin presented and signed copies of her memoir included in the volume titled Stolen Youth: Five Women's Survival in the Holocaust at the UN Book Shop. Every January in observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, volumes from the Holocaust Survivors’ Memoirs Project are on display in the Public Lobby and for sale in the Book Shop. Mrs. Jeannie Rosensaft, one of the editors of the memoirs, discussed the Project, which was an initiative of Nobel Prize laureate and United Nations Messenger of Peace Elie Wiesel, and Menachem Rosensaft, Chairman of the Project's Editorial Board. Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, joined the Project in 2004, which has published eleven books with 17 survivors' memoirs to date. Local survivors, students and the general public were invited to attend the event, moderated by Juan Carlos Brandt, Chief, Advocacy and Special Events, Outreach Division, United Nations Department of Public Information.
2008
Daniel Pearl Music Days
Each October the Department of Public Information partners with the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, to co-sponsor a concert as part of the Daniel Pearl Music Days celebration in memory of the slain journalist. The music days unite thousands of musicians over 60 countries to helps spread a message of respect for diversity and solidarity. The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme lends its support to the Daniel Pearl Foundation and the Museum of Jewish Heritage to celebrate the continuing triumph of tolerance and diversity through the universal language of music.
Daniel Pearl Music Days 2008 Edition- Soulfarm and Moshav Band
Front row (from left to right): Duvid Swirksy, Gal Gershovsky, Yehuda Solomon, Yosef Solomon
Back row (from left to right): Andrew Frawley, Yoshie Fruchter, Noah Solomon, Eric Falt (Director of the Outreach Division, DPI),
Dr. David Marwell (Director of the Museum of Jewish Heritage),C Lanzbom, Gilad.
Photo: Melanie Einzig
On 29 October 2008, the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme partnered with the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust - to sponsor a concert for Daniel Pearl Music Days, in memory of the murdered journalist Daniel Pearl. The concert featured Soulfarm and Moshav Band, who offered a unique blend of rock, reggae, folk and funk.
Opening remarks by Eric Falt, Director of the Outreach Division, DPI
Press release: Department of Public Information, Museum of Jewish Heritage to remember slain journalist Daniel Pearl (27 October 2008)
UN News Article: Unique blend of music commemorates slain reporter in UN-backed concert (30 October 2008)
Moshav Band
Photo: Melanie Einzig
Among the Righteous, Lost Stories from the Holocaust's Long Reach into Arab Lands, by Robert Satloff
On 29 April 2008, the Department of Public Information organized and participated in a booksigning for Robert Satloff’s Among the Righteous: Lost Stories from the Holocaust’s Long Reach into Arab Lands’. The book unveils stories of Arabs that rescued or assisted Jews in North Africa during World War II nazi occupation. These new stories of human kindness and respect encourage human solidarity and common humanity.
2007
Daniel Pearl Music Days 2007 Edition- Idan Raichel, Songs for Peace: The Acoustic Series
On 8, 9, and 10 October 2007, a series of concerts featuring Israeli artist Idan Raichel took place at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, in New York. Idan Raichel’s multi-ethnic musical group blends the unique sounds of Israel’s cultural traditions with styles from around the world. Idan was joined by Colombian singer/songwriter Marta Gómez, new African jazz and soul artist Somi, Ethiopian-Israeli singer Cabra Casay, and percussion master Itamar Doari.
Opening remarks by Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Kiyo Akasaka (10 October 2007)
Press release: Department of Public Information, Museum of Jewish Heritage to arrange concert as part of Daniel Pearl World Music Days (3 October 2007)
UN News Article: UN, Daniel Pearl Foundation, Museum of Jewish Heritage plan concert series (4 October 2007)
David Marwell, Director of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, UN Under-Secretary-General Kiyo Akasaka, artist Idan Raichel Photo: Melanie Einzig
Idan Raichel and Cabra Casay. Photo: Melanie Einzig
The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million, by Daniel Mendelsohn
On 29 January 2007, author Daniel Mendelsohn discussed and signed copies of his book, The Lost: A Search for Six of the Six Million, a non-fiction memoir in which the author tells his world-wide travels in search of details about the lives and fates of the members of his family during World War II, many of whom perished during the Holocaust.
2006
Daniel Pearl Music Days 2006 Edition- Morley and Friends
On 11 October 2006, a concert featuring a performance by “Morley and Friends” took place at the Museum of Jewish Heritage –- A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, in NewYork. Following the welcoming remarks by Raymond Sommereyns, Director of the Outreach Division, the concert brought together the folk singer Morley with an array of international artists, including David Amram, Haale and Hassan Hakmoun, echoing a message of awareness, acceptance, unity and peace by joining voices in song and creative expression.
Press release : Department of Public Information, Museum of Jewish Heritage to arrange concert as part of Daniel Pearl world music days (27 September 2006)
Morley and Friends. Photo: Melanie Einzig