The theme of the Holocaust memorial ceremony was “Holocaust Remembrance and Education: Our Shared Responsibility”. The theme highlights the universal dimension of the Holocaust and encourages education on this tragedy so that future generations will firmly reject all forms of racism, violence and anti-Semitism. The Holocaust was a defining point in history and its lessons have much to teach about the danger of extremism and the prevention of genocide today.
The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme has partnered with the Houston Holocaust Museum to produce a set of 14 posters based on the Museum's exhibition "The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust" for display by the global network of United Nations information centres. The exhibition outlines the impact of the Holocaust on children, and showcases an educational initiative called The Butterfly Project developed by Holocaust Museum Houston to teach this history to young people, encourage them to remember the 1.5 million children who perished and to stand up against hatred and prejudice. The posters will be available in all six United Nations official languages.
This exhibition is organized by the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations and the Russian Research and Educational Holocaust Centre. It was on view as of 19 January in the First Basement corridor near Conference Room E.
This exhibit tells the stories of individuals who are among the last survivors of the Holocaust and how they carried on with their lives in Switzerland after the Second World War. The large-scale portraits by Swiss photographer Beat Mumenthaler help shape each person’s unique story while the videos by Eric Bergkraut preserve the unique memories of the survivors, many of whom endured life in concentration camps. The images help the viewer go more deeply into each individual’s experience.
This exhibition gives the viewer an opportunity to reflect on the different dimensions and perspectives of this history by highlighting the role of the perpetrators, the Nazis and their collaborators, in contrast to the images and stories of the victims and survivors. In looking at large scale photographs of survivors, they remind us that we all have choices and decisions to make to contribute to the world we live in. The Wannsee Conference, held on 20 January 1942 in Berlin, played a key role in creating the killing machinery of the Nazi state. The protocol of the Wannsee Conference, featured in the exhibition, reveals the plan to persecute and murder European Jewry. It is sponsored by Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations.
A second exhibit titled "The Holocaust – Keeping the Memory Alive" features the 12 best posters out of more than 150 submitted by designers and students of design from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, China, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Peru, Poland, Russian Federation, Serbia and Slovenia. The theme of this year’s competition, which was implemented with support from the global network of United Nations Information Centres, reflects our shared responsibility to remember and educate about this tragedy. The exhibit is a joint initiative of Yad Vashem - The World Holocaust Remembrance Center and the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme. The competition is sponsored by The Asper Foundation and endorsed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
Design Poster Contest Winners 2017-2018: First Place: Julia Brancaglione Cristofi (Brazil), Second Place: Yael Boverman (Israel), Third Place: Adelina Shaydullina (Russia). The finalists are Vera Peskovets (Russia), Dora Ferenczy (Hungary), Eric Flavio (Indonesia), Panna Petro (Hungary), Angel Vega (Peru), Liron Tevet (Israel), Yoav Kahana (Russia), Ekaterina Kalujnaya (Russia), Hila ilchek & Rotem Gezunterman (Israel).
The exhibition outlines the impact of the Holocaust on children, and showcases an educational initiative called The Butterfly Project developed by Holocaust Museum Houston to teach this history to young people, encourage them to remember the 1.5 million mostly Jewish children who perished and to stand up against hatred and prejudice. The exhibition is presented by Holocaust Museum Houston of the United States, in collaboration with the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme.
The British film "Children of the Holocaust" combines animation and interviews with elderly survivors who recount their childhood experiences of Nazi atrocities, their escape from occupied mainland Europe to Britain and the impact that this had on their lives. H.E. Mr. Jonathan Guy Allen, Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations, delivered opening remarks. Following the film, a discussion was held with the Producer Kath Shackleton and the Director of Fettle Animation, Zane Whittingham. Ms. Alison Smale, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, moderated the Q&A.
One of the main lessons to be learned from the Holocaust is the need to protect the human dignity and human rights of all people, wherever they may be, regardless of their faith, ethnicity, gender or political beliefs. Acceptance of cultural diversity, open mindedness and education for tolerance are key elements in building a world in which we live peacefully side by side our fellow human beings. Learning from the past through Holocaust remembrance and embracing these values will help prevent such acts of terror from recurring in the future. The panellists included: Evelyn Sommer, Chair, World Jewish Congress, North America; Sarah Kaidanow; David Michaels, Director, UN and Intercommunal Affairs, B'nai B'rith International; Jason Sirois, National Director, No Place for Hate initiative, Anti-Defamation League. Welcome remarks were made by Hawa Diallo, NGO Relations & Advocacy Unit, and Kimberly Mann, Chief, Education and Outreach Section, moderated the event.
The exhibition features the Jasenovac complex, a brutal concentration and extermination camp that was opened under Ustasha authorities during the Second World War. The exhibit will include historical background, film, photos, sculptures and drawings. Viewers will be able to trace the fate of several families that were imprisoned in Jasenovac, listen to the testimonies of child inmate survivors from the camp and meet them at the opening of the exhibition. The exhibition aims to contribute to the preservation of universal values of humanity and global efforts to preserve the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and its history. H.E. Mr. Ivica Dačić, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, opened the exhibition, which is sponsored by the Permanent Mission of the Republic Serbia to the United Nations, and curated by Professor Dr. Gideon Greif, director of the exhibition, expert on Auschwitz, Majdanek and Jasenovac extermination camps, and author of the book "We Wept Without Tears". This exhibit was organized by the Permanent Mission of the Republic Serbia to the United Nations.
Moderated by Northeastern Journalism Professor Laurel Leff, author of "Buried by The Times: The Holocaust and America's Most Important Newspaper" with Dr. Elizabeth Anthony, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Stephen Haufek Chief, Archives Unit of Archives and Records Management Section, United Nations, and Dr. Charles R. Gallagher, S.J., Boston College. The opening of the United Nations War Crimes Commission Records (1943-1949) and the International Tracing Service has changed the way historians understand the Holocaust, as well as the lives of individual Holocaust survivors and their families in very personal ways. The panel explored these stories, what might still be found in the Vatican archives and what impact this information could have on history.
The ceremony was hosted by Ms. Alison Smale, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications. The event included remarks by United Nations Secretary-General; H.E. Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, President of the seventy-second session of the General Assembly; H.E. Mr. Danny Danon, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations; H.E. Mr. Christoph Heusgen, Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations; H.E. Ms. Kelley Eckels Currie, United States Representative to the Economic and Social Council at the United Nations. Judge Thomas Buergenthal, a Holocaust survivor and a retired Judge of the International Court of Justice, Professor at George Washington University Law School served as a keynote speaker. Mrs. Eva Lavi, a Holocaust survivor, shared her testimony. The ceremony included musical elements by the United Nations Staff Recreation Council Singers and the United Nations Staff Recreation Council Chamber Music Society. Cantor Joseph Malovany of the Fifth Avenue Synagogue, recited the memorial prayers.
B'nai B'rith International explored stories of Jews who rescued their fellow Jews during the Holocaust at the annual commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of Victims of the Holocaust. The discussion also focused on the belated recognition of these rescuers and the many lives that they saved.
Today we remember the six million Jewish men, women and children who perished in the Holocaust. Countless others also lost their lives as cruelty convulsed the world.
Yet decades since the Second World War, we see the persistence of anti-Semitism and an increase in other forms of prejudice.
Neo-Nazis and white supremacy groups are among the main purveyors of extreme hatred.
And too often, vile views are moving from the margins to the mainstream of societies and politics.
We must stand together against the normalization of hate.
Whenever and wherever humanity’s values are abandoned, we are all at risk.
All of us have a responsibility to quickly, clearly and decisively resist racism and violence.
Remarks by H.E. Mr. Danny Danon, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations
Remarks by H.E. Mr. Christoph Heusgen, Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations
2018 Holocaust Remembrance Activities around the world
The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme has partnered with the Houston Holocaust Museum to produce a set of 14 posters based on the Museum's exhibition "The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust" for display by the global network of United Nations Information Centres. The exhibition outlines the impact of the Holocaust on children, and showcases an educational initiative called "The Butterfly Project" developed by the Holocaust Museum Houston to teach this history to young people, encourage them to remember the 1.5 million children who perished and to stand up against hatred and prejudice. The posters were made available in all six United Nations official languages and Azeri and Kiswahili, with the support of UNICs Antananarivo, Baku, Buenos Aires, Dar es Salaam and UNO Minsk. Through the global networks of United Nations Information Centres the posters were displayed in 38 countries, and reached thousands.
A second exhibit titled "The Holocaust – Keeping the Memory Alive" featured the 12 best posters out of more than 150 submitted by designers and design students. The theme of this year’s competition, which was implemented with support from the global network of United Nations Information Centres, reflects our shared responsibility to remember and educate about this tragedy. The exhibit is a joint initiative of Yad Vashem - The World Holocaust Remembrance Center and the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme. Posters were displayed in 18 venues around the world; and the series was produced in all six United Nations official languages and Japanese, Kiswahili and Portuguese with the assistance of UNICs Dar es Salaam, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo.
The list of available educational products also included the British film "Children of the Holocaust", which combines animation and interviews with elderly survivors who recount their childhood experiences of Nazi atrocities. The film was subtitled into French, Russian and Spanish, with help from UNICs Mexico, Moscow and Yaoundé, and it was screened for educational purposes from Bogota to New Delhi, in a total of 22 countries.
Africa UNIC Accra, Ghana UNIC Accra observed the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust with two events involving students. The events held on 26 and 30 January included the exhibition titled "The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust" at two different locations, a film screening, a forum and an artwork display.
The events were attended by 100 students of Morning Star School: 50 from Tiny Flowers Academy, 20 from Salem Senior High School and 30 from Sea Shells School. Ambassador of Israel to Ghana, Ami Mehl, the Deputy Head of Mission at the German Embassy, Sander Hans-Helge, and Deputy Director at the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Mawuli Avetor, participated in both events, along with the Head of Morning Star School, Nana Abena Kwakyi and teachers from the various participating schools. Both events aimed at educating students about the Holocaust and to encourage them to confront and rectify negative traits or behaviours they encounter in society, in an effort to prevent acts of genocide.
UNIC Antananarivo, Madagascar UNIC Antananarivo held a Holocaust remembrance ceremony with UN Club members under the theme of The Butterfly Project The activity included screening of the video message of the UN Secretary-General on Holocaust Remembrance, followed by the film "The Path to Nazi Genocide". Youth discussed on the genocide and wrote down their thoughts and messages on butterfly-shaped paper scraps. Samples included messages like “Nevermore” and “Peace and Love”. The audience also visited the poster exhibition, translated into French. The exhibit travelled then to high schools and universities during the month of February.
The Butterfly Project exhibit translated into French. Photo: UNIC Antananarivo
UNIC Brazzaville, Republic of Congo sOn 29 January, UNIC Brazzaville marked the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust with a contest of the best presentation on the Holocaust. The activity involved 90 students from nine high schools. The UN Secretary-General’s video message and presentations given by the contestants were part of the award ceremony in which the UNIC National Information Officer served on the jury along with a Professor, who is an expert on genocide at the National University.
The Butterfly Project exhibit translated into French.
Days before, the UNIC provided contestants with a briefing, and organized a visit to The Butterfly Project exhibition and screening of the documentary The Path to the Nazi Genocide . Primary presentations took place in schools, with activities reaching 700 high-school students. More than 500.000 viewers watched the event through a private television channel that recorded and broadcasted the event. After the commemoration, UNIC displayed The Butterfly Project exhibition in its Library for two weeks, to be viewed by visitors.
UNIC Bujumbura, Burundi Around 200 students from “Lycée Municipal Cibitoke”, one of secondary schools of Bujumbura, participated in educational outreach activities in observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, organized and hosted by UNIC Bujumbura on 8 February, under the theme of The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust .
The programme included a briefing on the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme, a screening of the Chapter IV of a film titled The Path to Nazi Genocide which presents the Second Wold War and the causes of this crime against humanity; and a visit of the exhibit entitled The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust , showing the impact of this tragedy on the lives and hopes of children, and a debate on Holocaust, racism, universal human rights and tolerance.
The Butterfly Project ,
Students also learned about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and how genocide can affect their lives and their hopes. They promised themselves not to abandon their dreams and ideals because of unfortunate circumstances and to prevent any ideology that could lead to genocide, racism and xenophobia. The participating schools appreciated the UNIC initiative to provide leadership and human rights education to their students and noted the added value of the educational programme on the Holocaust.
UNIC Dakar, Senegal To celebrate the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, UNIC Dakar has mounted a traveling exhibition that has circulated in several schools. The teachers, using the pedagogical guide, explained The Butterfly Project to the young students, encouraging them to fight hatred and prejudice. The exhibition reached more than 2,000 students.
The Butterfly Project exhibit produced into French. Photo: UNIC Dakar
This year, the exhibition started on 12 February, and ended on 24 March. During this period, some schools experienced strikes that disrupted the activity. Initially UNIC Dakar had planned to exhibit the posters The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust in French, in 10 secondary schools, and due to the strikes, the exhibit was shown in 5 schools.
UNIC Dar es Salaam UNIC Dar es Salaam marked the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust with an event held on 31 January at the Little Theatre In Dar es Salaam, in a partnership with the German Embassy in Tanzania. The Ambassador of Germany, Dr. Detlef Waetchter, was the chief guest at the commemoration where he spoke to the audience about the Holocaust. The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust and Keeping the Memory Alive . The exhibitions were displayed in English and Kiswahili, after the UNIC translated its content.
The Butterfly Project , translated into Kiswahili. Photo: UNIC Dar es Salaam
About 100 students from several schools in Dar es salaam including Chang'ombe Secondary school, Kibasila Secondary school, Gerezani Secondary School, Dar es salaam Secondary School and Jangwani Girls Secondary, participated in the event. UNIC Dar es Salaam staff took the students through the exhibition and responded to their questions regarding the information displayed. They showed interest in learning more about the families of survivors like Petr Ginz.Kinderblock66 , which was followed by a discussion moderated by the UNIC.
UNIC Lagos, Nigeria The Holocaust Remembrance observance in Nigeria was organized on 25 January, by the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Lagos Education District 1, and turned out to be a great learning experience and lessons on tolerance, seeking peace and shunning prejudice and hatred for 500 secondary school students and 96 teachers from the Education District.
The students, drawn from the 99 secondary Schools in Lagos Education District 1, were exposed to a poster exhibition titled The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust ; a film screening of The Path to Nazi Genocide , and a quiz competition on the Holocaust and the United Nations.
The Butterfly
It was a brilliant demonstration of knowledge of the Holocaust and the lessons derived by the students. Explaining his lessons learnt, one student (10 years old) of Meiran Community Junior High School Lagos gleefully acknowledged: “I learnt that we should ensure we are not involved in any form of racism, anti-Semitism, prejudice or hatred against anyone”.
The Quiz competition started with 200 students from 9 schools, out of whom 20 students from ten schools qualified for the finals. At the end of the finals the winners were chosen: first place winners were Chigozie Ndubusi and Mosimiloluwa Adebisi (Shasha Senior Community College); second place were Barakat Adekanbi and Jessica Opara (Ipaja Junior College); while the third place winners were Augustine Valentine (Stadium Junior Grammar school).
UNIC Lomé, Togo In Togo, UNIC Lomé prepared a briefing, along with the poster exhibition titled The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust and the screening of The Path to Nazi Genocide . All these activities took place on 26 January at the Lomé Tokoin Protestant College, which celebrated its 70th anniversary.
The exhibition of the posters of The Butterfly Project at the Great Hall of the College attracted the attention of more than 1200 students and teachers. At the same venue, UNIC Lomé organized the screening of the film The Path to Nazi Genocide , which was preceded by a presentation on the Holocaust and the importance of the United Nations in raising awareness of important issues around the world.
The Butterfly Project exhibit in
At the end of the film, students had questions, relating in particular to the cruelty of the Nazis: why have some countries remained silent on Hitler’s attempted extermination of the Jews? How could Hitler have been allowed to violate human rights? The History and Geography teachers of the College, associated with the organization of this meeting, answered the various questions. Finally, a leaflet with important dates from the Second World War was distributed to each student. The latter were also interested in obtaining copies of the posters, including the poem The Butterfly written on 4 June 1942, by Pavel Friedmann.
UNIC Lomé also distributed copies of the 14 posters of The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust and leaflets with important dates of Second World War in other schools including: Protestant College Lomé-Agbalépédo, College Notre Dame of the Apostles Lomé, School Complex "Revelation" and the Togolese Federation of Associations and Clubs UNESCO.
UNIC Lusaka, Zambia UNIC Lusaka organized several commemorative activities under this year’s theme: “Holocaust Remembrance and Education: Our Shared Responsibility”.
The Holocaust memorial ceremony was held on 15 February, at the University of Zambia in Lusaka. The ceremony had over 100 guests including school pupils, representatives from youth led organizations, representatives from faith based organizations and representatives from non-governmental organizations. The event included remarks from the Jewish Community in Zambia, the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Representative, and the Ministry of National Guidance and Religious Affairs, a Jewish Prayer, candle lighting and a moment of silence for the 6 million Jews that perished during the Holocaust. Those activities were followed by the screening of the film Children of the Holocaust , and a discussion around the Holocaust and why education on it is important, and finally closed with the poster exhibit The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust .
UNIC Lusaka organized two school outreach activities at Kafue Day Secondary School and Naboye Secondary School in Kafue District. This was done in an effort to reach out to students not only in the capital city but also pupils outside Lusaka. Using the lesson plan that was provided and the guidelines for use of the posters by the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme, UNIC Lusaka made the school events very interactive, centred around the students themselves.
The events at both schools started with the poster exhibition The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust to show the impact of the Holocaust on children, followed by the screening of The Path to Nazi Genocide , so they could better understand the origin of the Holocaust. The screening was followed by remarks from the Mayor of Kafue, and the activities concluded with a discussion on the poster exhibition and film to get the students’ views, questions and share their understandings.
At least 100 pupils from Kafue Day Secondary School and 150 from Naboye Secondary School in Kafue learnt about the Holocaust using these activities.
UNIC Nairobi, Kenya A memorial ceremony was organized in Nairobi, Kenya, with more than 650 in attendance (mainly university students from more than 25 local universities, NGOs, UN Staff and members of the diplomatic corps including government officials from the host country). The sombre event was led by the representative of the Director-General who read the UN Secretary-General’s message and called for an observance of a one-minute silence in honour of those who perished during the Holocaust.
The programme featured Ambassadors from Germany, Israel and Kenya, who had powerful messages on the lessons learnt, to share. At the end of the first part of the event, all in attendance were invited to lay the individual stem of flower handed to them as they entered the venue.
In the second phase of the event students were invited to a film screening of a short video offered by the Embassy of Israel in which nine diplomats were featured on how they defied orders from their capital and saved thousands of lives. Following the screening, there was a Q&A session at which the Ambassador of Israel fielded the questions. Students openly expressed their satisfaction and said they had taken away many lessons from the event. The conversation continued on UNIC Nairobi social media platforms.
UNIC Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso To mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, UNIC Ouagadougou organized from 27 to 29 January 2018, both exhibitions: The Butterfly Project and Keeping the Memory Alive . These exhibits were intended to inform and educate a broad audience about the Holocaust and its consequences and encourage remembrance of all the victims of the Holocaust and all of those who fought to end it.
The exhibitions were held at UNIC premises and received 4,213 visitors including government representatives, parliamentarians, and students, members of the defence and security forces, members of civil society and the media. The UN Secretary-General's Message for the Day was distributed to the visitors of the exhibition.
The Butterfly Project displayed at UNIC premises in Ouagadougou,
UNIC Ouagadougou organized also on 29 January in its conference room, the screening of the film Children of the Holocaust . About 60 people including students, researchers, teachers and journalists attended this screening.
To inform and educate students about the Holocaust and to involve them in genocide prevention activities, the UNIC, in partnership with the University of Ouagadougou, gave Holocaust lectures in five schools.
UNIC Pretoria, South Africa UNIC Pretoria, in collaboration with the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre (JHGC), Education Africa, a non-governmental organization and the Azara Secondary School, observed this year’s International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust with two events in Johannesburg on 25 and 28 January. The commemorative activities were held at the JHGC and involved interactive and educational programmes with the students on genocide and Holocaust awareness.
More than 120 ninth grade students from Azara Secondary School in Lenasia observed and participated in Holocaust Remembrance activities on 25 January. The students were first briefed on the work of the three organizations followed by an educational activity during which they learned the definitions of important concepts such as genocide and Holocaust. They later participated in group activities where they were asked to reflect on the Day’s programme and why it was important for them to know about the Holocaust.
This was followed by the viewing of an exhibition on the Holocaust during which they also participated in an interactive session which chronicled the Holocaust and its atrocities and the impact it had on various races including Jews of African descent from West Africa. Students were pleasantly fascinated with the real-life story of a Holocaust survivor and continued to ask questions even after the conclusion of the programme.
On 28 January, UNIC Pretoria Director Masimba Tafirenyika made a statement at the official event which was attended by the Ambassadors of Israel and Germany in South Africa and dozens of Holocaust survivors. A Senegalese researcher on the Holocaust and Jews of African descent, Alioune Deme, gave the keynote address on his research on the treatment of African Jews in West Africa and the existence of a Prisoner of War camp in Senegal. The event included the lighting of candles by Holocaust survivors living in South Africa.
UNIC Rabat, Morocco In observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, UNIC Rabat and Mimouna Association organized a panel discussion following the screening of the documentary Among the Righteous , by Robert Satloff, retracing the Holocaust period in the Maghreb region under the Vichy regime.
The panel discussion was organized under the theme “Mohamed V: Defender of the Moroccan Jewry during the Holocaust” and was well attended by students, historians and experts. The event was inaugurated by the video message of the UN Secretary General; followed by the screening of the documentary of Robert Satloff, which is one of the rare productions documenting the very inspiring, though little-known, history of the Holocaust in Maghreb.
Unlike the case of Europe, Satloff's documentary reveals a region where Jews and Muslims have, for millennia, lived rather in peace and harmony; it retraces some stories of “Arab Schindlers" like King Mohamed V in Morocco, Moncef Bey, King of Tunisia, the Ulemas (Muslim scholars) of Algiers, as well as ordinary Muslim people who harbored their fellow citizens in their farms or in olive oil plants to save them from the Holocaust. The debate was attended by eminent experts such as the Director of the Archives of Morocco Dr. Jamaa Baida, Ms. Rachel Mouyal, a witness of that period and representative of the Jewish community of Tangiers and Dr. Tad Stahnke, from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Colleagues of the UNESCO Maghreb office in Rabat also attended and distributed materials about their Holocaust education and genocide prevention programme.
UNIC Windhoek, Namibia On 1 February, UNIC Windhoek partnered with the Franco Namibia Cultural Centre (FNCC) to screen the film Children of the Holocaust . At the FNCC’s video cinema room, UNIC invited approximately 50 high school students from five different schools in the capital city. Welcoming students and teachers to the FNCC, the Director Jerome Kohl expressed his delight in partnering with UNIC on this important educational programme. The screening was followed by a discussion on the film with the young people sharing how the film impacted them on a personal level. They also referred their hopes and dreams of the future, noting how the hopes and dreams of the children of the Holocaust were lost.
UNIC team set up The Butterfly Project exhibition at the FNCC and lit candles as the young people along with their teachers toured and studied the exhibit. According to a high school teacher who participated in the event, the programme had created deep thoughts and attachments to humanity. Her students observed the negative impacts of war on children.
UNIC Windhoek displayed also the exhibit The Butterfly Project , with an interactive learning activity, to present the history of the Holocaust to approximately 206 learners at St Paul’s College in Windhoek. Five groups of learners from grade 8 to 12 grades attended the presentation in the main hall of their school. The presentation was followed by a short quiz and feedback session. The learners received flyers with a timeline of the Holocaust and made notes in their Holocaust Remembrance notebooks. It was an insightful morning where the young people learnt more about the Holocaust and had the opportunity to share their thoughts and analysis of this watershed event in human history.
UNIC Yaoundé, Cameroun The 2018 International Day of Commemoration in memory of victims of the Holocaust was observed in Cameroon on 26 January through an educational outreach event organized by UNIC Yaoundé, on the theme “Holocaust Remembrance and Education: Our Shared Responsibility”.
The event was aimed to educate students of two secondary schools: the Lycée Bilingue de Nkol-Eton and the English High School, Yaoundé, on the dangers of the Holocaust and how violence and genocidal acts can be prevented in our society today.
UNIC Yaoundé organized a panel discussion on the theme “Holocaust Remembrance and Education: Our Shared Responsibility”. Participants watched the UN Secretary General’s video message for the Day, followed by the screening of the film Children of the Holocaust . This movie further enlightened the students on the depth of the scars of the Holocaust atrocities on survivors. It was with keen interest and empathy that the children watched the movie. Discussions continued with rich exchanges between the panellists and participants.
The event ended with the exhibition of the 14 posters (in English and French) of The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust .
UNIC Yaoundé provided information kits comprised of: UN Secretary-General’s message on the Holocaust Remembrance Day (French and English), flyers, the storyline of the film, and some info related to the poster exhibition.
Americas UNIC Bogotá, Colombia UNIC Bogotá, with the support of the Embassy of Israel, the Zajor Foundation, the Confederation of Jewish Communities of Colombia, and the Colombian-Jewish School in Bogotá, organized a commemorative event on 27 January.
The event was attended by close to 1000 people, including the Ambassadors of Canada, Ecuador, France, Germany, Israel, Nicaragua, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as high level government official and dignitaries, including High Commissioner for Peace, Rodrigo Rivera and the Jewish diaspora in Colombia.
UNIC Bogotá screened the film The Path to Nazi Genocide for school children on 26 January. Produced by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the film examines the rise and consolidation of the power of Nazis in Germany, as well as its racist ideology, propaganda objectives and the persecution of Jewish people during the Second World War. The screening sought to encourage reflection and debate among students, academia and UNIC staff on the timeliness and enduring validity of this subject at the global level. UNIC Bogotá also organized a poster exhibition portraying Nazi propaganda developed by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme, titled The State of Deception: The Power of the Nazi Propaganda , which remained open for several days at the Colombian-Jewish School.
UNIC Buenos Aires, Argentina The exhibition Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust in Spanish will be displayed in May, as school break in Buenos Aires is from mid-December to March.
UNIC Lima, Peru UNIC Lima organized, in conjunction with the Embassy of Israel, The Butterfly Project exhibition in a park in Lima. The opening ceremony on 29 January, was attended by the Ambassador of Israel in Peru, Raphael Singer; the National Information Officer of the United Nations Information Center, Christian Sánchez; Esther Karl, survivor of a concentration camp in Poland, the Ambassadors of Germany and Russia, and other local authorities. The ceremony was also attended by relatives of the Peruvian diplomat Jose Maria Barreto, who saved 48 Jews, including 4 children. After one week in the park, the exhibition was moved to the Museum of Humanities and the Holocaust in Lima. It will remain in the gardens of the museum for the next 3 months. School students will be invited to receive a guided tour and to produce their own paintings on the theme.
The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust exhibition in a park in Lima.
UNIC Lima and the Museum of Humanities and the Holocaust in Lima will present also the exhibition Keeping the Memory Alive , a series of 12 wining posters from the International Holocaust Design Poster Competition. The exhibition will be placed at the main exhibit hall of the Museum and will form part of the circuit for students when they visit The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust posters, as school in Peru begins in early March. The opening ceremony will be attended by one of the winners, Peruvian graphic designer Angel Vega.
UNIC Mexico City, Mexico UNIC Mexico City organized activities with the Memory and Tolerance Museum, which will continue during the year. UNIC Mexico City and Yad Vashem Mexico also organized student briefings with different schools; along with exhibits The Butterfly Project and Keeping the Memory Alive , and the screening of the film Children of the Holocaust , subtitled in Spanish.
UNIC Panamá City, Panamá In observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, UNIC Panamá City launched the exhibition The State of Deception: The Power of the Nazi Propaganda . The exhibition was presented from 6 to 9 February at the Universidad Latina de Panamá, with the aim of raising awareness about how the propaganda was used to feed hatred and intolerance among people.
The State of Deception: The Power of the Nazi Propaganda exhibit at
The exhibition was carried out with the support of the United Nations Information Centre in Panamá and the School of Communication of the Universidad Latina de Panamá, which has around 10,000 enrolled students at the undergraduate and post graduate levels.
Students also participated in a screening and discussion of the documentary Children of the Holocaust . During the event, Janibeth Miranda, National Information Officer, shared with the participants the video message of UN Secretary General, António Guterres, for the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust.
UNIC Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago On 27 January, UNIC Port of Spain hosted a screening of the film Children of the Holocaust and presented the exhibit The Butterfly Project to Model UN participants (100 students) who were at a training session at the University of the West Indies - St. Augustine Campus, in Trinidad & Tobago. The UNIC travelling exhibit began in March. UNIC Port of Spain displayed The Butterfly Project on 6 June 2018 after the screening of a local film titled The Last Goldfish . The film tells the story of a daughter’s search for her lost family stretches from Australia to Trinidad and North America to the Second World War in Germany. 400 people attended the premier and visited the exhibit. The response of the audience was very positive.
On 7 June, the UNIC screened the film Children of the Holocaust to 25 girls who live at the St. Jude’s School for Girls, a shelter for homeless children. They were also the first group to participate in the Butterfly Project and their butterflies will be displayed in a future activity. UNIC is planning two more projects with students and will feature all the butterflies designed by the 25 girls.
When asked about their feelings after the film screening some of the comments were: "I feel sad for those children", "I can understand how it feels to have no parents" and "some of those children are just like us".
UNIC Rio de Janeiro, Brazil UNIC Rio de Janeiro held several activities to promote the International Day of Commemoration in memory of victims of the Holocaust, which included special features (text and video), an exhibition, an event and several interviews, in addition to translating and disseminating messages related to the Day.
UNIC Rio director gave an interview to “Comunidade na TV”, a Jewish TV news programme, which was broadcasted on 14 January. He also recorded a message for an event held at the Jewish Museum in Rio.
Keeping the Memory Alive in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo: UNIC Rio/Luise
At UNIC Rio premises, an event on 29 January was held to mark the Day, gathering 50 people from the Jewish community - including survivors of the Holocaust. In addition to screening the UN Secretary-General’s video message, a special video featuring survivors, produced by UNIC Rio, was broadcasted. The special video was also disseminated on ONU Brazil web based platforms and sent to the Portuguese speaking countries and UN News, as it had a version with subtitles in English.
The Center promoted an exhibition with the winners of the International Design Student Poster Competition – Keeping the Memory Alive . Júlia Cristofi, a Brazilian designer, and first place winner participated in the event.
Asia and Pacific UNIC Canberra, Australia UNIC Canberra made arrangements with the Sydney Jewish Museum and the Jewish Holocaust Centre in Melbourne to display the exhibit Keeping the Memory Alive to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The Jewish Holocaust Centre, in Melbourne, held a commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust on 28 January, at the Glen Eira Town Hall, attended by about 400 people. The event was held jointly with the Jewish Community Council of Victoria and with Dr. Brendan Nelson, director of the Australian War Memorial, as their keynote speaker. They plan to display the exhibit Keeping the Memory Alive at a later time.
An event attended by about 250 people was held at the Sydney Jewish Museum, in conjunction with the Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants. Four Holocaust survivors gave a moving account of their lives and their survival, and also spoke about rebuilding their lives in Australia. The UN Secretary-General’s message for the Day was also read out at the event. The poster exhibit Keeping the Memory Alive , organized with assistance of UNIC Canberra, was displayed in the entrance of the Museum.
UNIC Kathmandu, Nepal UNIC Kathmandu, together with the Embassy of the State of Israel, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Union to Nepal, observed the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust from 23 January to 26 January. The formal event was marked at the Embassy of Germany by lighting candles by the chief of National Human Rights Commission of Nepal as Chief Guest, Ambassadors of the European Union, Germany, Israel, and United States. Guests included the diplomatic community, government officials, media and the civil society.
United Nations Resident Coordinator to Nepal Valérie Julliand read out the UN Secretary-General’s message on the occasion. This event was followed by the screening of three documentaries namely Children of the Holocaust , Hitler's Children and The Ninth Day at the hall of Nepal Tourism Board on 24 January. Also, the exhibition Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust , and To Bear Witness: Holocaust Photo Exhibition were displayed from 24 January to 26 January at Nepal Art Council. Both the screening of the documentaries and the art exhibition were open to public and schools.
On 26 January, UNIC Kathmandu, in collaboration with the Embassy of Israel, also conducted a half day long interactive programme with 30 high school students from different institutions in the UN House conference room by screening Children of the Holocaust and discussing the lessons learnt by Nepali youths utilising the teaching tools of The Butterfly Project .
UNIC Manila, Philippines About 200 university students gathered at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) on 26 January to take part in an event to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. In a traditional memorial ceremony, Yulia Rachisnky-Spivakov, Deputy Head of mission of Israel in Manila, led the lighting of six candles that represented the six million Jews who perished during the Holocaust. She was joined by Arlene Gonzales-Macaisa, Director for peace and security of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA); Lee Blumenthal, who heads the Jewish community in the Philippines; Itamar Gero, president of the Israel Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ICCP); Teresa Debuque, National Information Officer of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Manila; and a student representative.
The Butterfly Project exhibit at National Commission for
UNIC Manila opened The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust at the start of its Holocaust Remembrance programme. The UN Secretary-General’s message for the Day was screened during the student briefing, where the posters of The Butterfly Project were also displayed. This was followed by the screening of the Children of the Holocaust film. Also exhibited at the same venue were the posters of the Keeping the Memory Alive exhibition.
UNIC New Delhi, India In observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, UNIC New Delhi designed a unique educational programme to educate the student community in New Delhi. In December, UNIC New Delhi invited students from seven schools to an intensive briefing session on the Holocaust, organized in collaboration with the Embassy of Israel. The briefing ignited their curiosity to learn the lessons from the past and interpret relevant themes for our contemporary times.
UNIC New Delhi in collaboration with the Embassy of Israel and the Alliance Française of New Delhi organized a two-day commemoration on 30 and 31 January at the UN Lawns and Alliance Française auditorium. In a unique first-ever gesture, the programme was supported by a large consortium of diplomatic missions in New Delhi, namely, the Embassies of Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Japan, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The venue came alive with three sets of poster displays: a set of 12 winning posters from an International Design Student Poster Competition held under the theme “Keeping the Memory Alive” was displayed at the UN Lawns; The Butterfly Project exhibit produced by the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme and the Holocaust Museum in Houston, outlining the impact of the Holocaust on children was also displayed for the guests. The Embassy of Israel displayed an exhibit titled Beyond Duty: An Exhibition on Diplomats Recognized as Righteous among the Nations at the Alliance Française. This exhibit highlighted stories of 9 diplomats from different countries who ran rescue operations and went against orders to save Jews during the Holocaust.
Students from seven schools presented their understanding of the Holocaust through a wide variety of historical, thematic and art exhibitions. The lawns of the UN House were converted into a concentration camp like setting, where schools set up experience centres to lead guests through the various struggles of living under persecution.
In the evening of 30 January, over 200 guests from the diplomatic community, academia and media attended the ceremony to show solidarity to the cause. After experiencing the exhibition pavilions, the guests moved to the Alliance Française for the formal ceremony, where representatives from all the collaborating embassies lit candles and observed a moment of silence in memory of those who lost their lives during the Holocaust.
On Wednesday, 31 January, the UN House was populated by students from 25 different schools. The students experienced the exhibits and moved to the Alliance Française for the screening of the film Children of the Holocaust . The screening was followed by an interaction wherein diplomats from collaborating embassies answered questions from the student audience.
This year’s observance came to a close with the screening of a Polish documentary titled PILECKI at the South Asian University on 5 February 2018. The screening was organized in collaboration with the Polish Institute.
UNIC Tokyo, Japan UNIC Tokyo collaborated with Tokyo Holocaust Education Resource Center, in the organization of a major commemorative event on 25 January in Japan, where they exhibited some of the posters of the “Keeping the Memory Alive” exhibit. Mr. Janos Cegledy, a Holocaust survivor, originally from Hungary, discussed the Holocaust with Japanese high school students. UNIC Tokyo also created a social media campaign around the 12 posters and shared the UN Secretary-General’s video message for the Day on their web platforms.
UNIC Yangon, Myanmar On 24 January, UNIC Yangon, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the Embassy of Israel and the Goethe Institute, held a commemoration ceremony at the Yangon University Arts Hall. The Minister for Social Affairs of Yangon Division, H.E. U Naing Ngan Lin, was the guest of honour. The UN Secretary-General’s video message for the Day was screened and the ceremony was followed by a music performance by Israeli musicians Dganit Daddo and Yuval Kedar.
Keeping the Memory Alive on display at the Yangon University Arts Hall. Photo: UNIC Yangon
Prize-winning posters from the International Design Student Poster Competition, a joint project of Yad Vashem and the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme, endorsed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, were prominently displayed in the lobby of the hall. The Embassy of Israel also displayed photos of the Holocaust. The event presented the opportunity to further promote Holocaust education with Yangon University, the Goethe Institut and U Thant House.
Europe UNO Baku, Azerbaijan The United Nations Office in Baku organized Holocaust Remembrance Week in Azerbaijan, in collaboration with the Embassy of Israel. The UNO translated and subtitled the film Children of the Holocaust into Azeri, and held a screening for students. Along with the documentary, participants also had a chance to see the exhibit The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust , also translated into Azeri.
Children of the Holocaust . Photo: UNO Baku
The Holocaust Remembrance Week also included a series of other awareness raising events at the academic institutions, such as ADA University (Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy) and the Baku Oxford School. The latter also hosted the exhibition titled Keeping the Memory Alive , which featured the 12 best posters on the Holocaust by designers and students of design from different countries. “It was interesting to see how young people from different countries imagined the Holocaust. And I am thinking how I would present this tragedy in my poster – maybe by drawing a dying tree caused by people’s negligence,” said one student (14 years old) of Baku Oxford School.
UNRIC Brussels – Desk Office for Italy, Greece, France and Benelux On the occasion of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, the Brussels based United Nations Regional Information Centre (UNRIC) - Italy Desk undertook a series of activities to mark the Day that included translating into Italian the UN Secretary General’s message along with some parts of the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme website, which were shared with TV stations and posted on social media. Two of Italy’s main Jewish institutional bodies, the Italian Union of Jewish communities - UCEI - and the Rome-based Jewish community (Romaebraica) provided interviews and information material that were disseminated by the UNRIC via social media. Also, the UNRIC distributed a fact-sheet in Italian based on information material from the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme website.
The Brussels based United Nations Regional Information Centre (UNRIC) – Greece Desk translated into Greek the UN Secretary-General’s message on the Day and distributed it to a large number of recipients including many elementary and high-schools in Greece. A web story on the Day was also posted on their website and social media platforms.
The Brussels based United Nations Regional Information Centre (UNRIC) – France Desk also conducted media outreach. UNRIC EU-Benelux Desk organized a temporary exhibition State of Deception: the Power of Nazi Propaganda at the Cité Mirror, Liège. Under the Ciné-ONU banner and together with Territoires de la Mémoire, the Association for the United Nations and the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, the UNRIC also screened Bogdan's Journey on 25 January.
UNIS Geneva, Switzerland The United Nations Information Service at Geneva (UNIS Geneva) held four major events from 28-30 January, including a Ciné-ONU screening, the official ceremony, a meeting between a Holocaust survivor and local students, and an exhibition on the life of Anne Frank (organized by the EU, Switzerland and Anne Frank House).
On 28 January, Ciné-ONU Geneva presented No Asylum: The Untold Chapter of Anne Frank’s Story , which tells the story of how the recent discovery of letters written by Otto Frank, Anne Frank’s father, reveals the family’s struggle to unsuccessfully flee from the Nazis, like millions of other Jews. The screening was followed by a discussion with Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss, Otto Frank’s stepdaughter, and Paula Fouce, the film’s director. About 150 people attended the event.
An official ceremony was held on 29 January 2018 in the Assembly Hall of the Palais des Nations, with some 350 people in attendance to hear the message of the UN Secretary-General, speeches by Michael Møller, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, and Ambassador Aviva Raz Shechter, Permanent Representative of Israel to the UN in Geneva, as well as a poignant testimonial by Eva Schloss, Holocaust survivor and Otto Frank’s stepdaughter. The ceremony also featured a musical performance by young violinists Anne Luisa Kramb and Dmitry Smirnov, former winners of the Menuhin Competition, as well as Gordon Back, pianist and artistic director of the Menuhin Competition.
On 29 January, some 160 students from Collège Le Joran and Geneva’s German School came to the Palais des Nations to visit the exhibition Let Me Be Myself and listen to Eva Schloss’ experience during the Holocaust. The students were mesmerized by Ms. Schloss’ story, which generated many questions and an interactive dialogue with the students.
The Palais des Nations hosted an exhibition titled Let Me Be Myself – The Life Story of Anne Frank , presented by the European Union and Switzerland, in cooperation with Anne Frank House. The exhibition - about Anne Frank from her birth in 1929 up to her death in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945 - included a replica of her diary and a scale model of the hiding place. An official inauguration was held on 29 January in the presence of more than 150 participants, amongst them several dignitaries and some 100 students from international schools. The exhibition was linked to an educational programme of Anne Frank House for which some 15 students from Geneva-based schools received a two-day training before providing guided tours to the diplomatic corps and fellow students. The exhibition was displayed until 9 February.
UNO Minsk, Belarus On the occasion of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, the United Nations Office in Minsk held a panel discussion and organized two exhibits: The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust in Russian, which was produced by the UNO; and an exhibit of posters dedicated to the Holocaust in Belarus.
UNIC Moscow, Russia UNIC Moscow marked the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust with a screening of the film Children of the Holocaust , which was subtitled in Russian by the UNIC; and exhibited the posters of the International Student Design Poster Contest Keeping the Memory Alive .
Among the top winners of the competition were Julia Brancaglione Cristofi of Brazil, Yael Boverman of Israel and Adelina Shaydullina of the Russian Federation - and 10 finalists of the competition. Among the finalists, Ekaterina Kalujnaya of Russia and Yoav Kahana of Israel, represented the group of artists that had submitted their works to UNIC Moscow. As a follow-up to the poster competition, UNIC Moscow conducted a half-day workshop for the Russia-based first round winners, which included a review of their artwork by a prominent Russian designer and university lecturer, and Ilya Altman of Russian Research and Educational Holocaust Centre.
SHOAH – The Holocaust: How was it Humanly Possible? ” exhibition. Photo: Victory Museum in Moscow
UNIC Moscow was also involved in the planning of a documentary exhibition at the UN Headquarters in commemoration of the tragedy and liberation of inmates of the Nazi camps by the Red Army. The exhibition, titled The Holocaust: Annihilation, Liberation, Rescue , was co-organized by the Research and Educational Holocaust Centre and the Russian Jewish Congress. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov opened the exhibition during an official ceremony, which took place on 18 January, in New York, at UN Headquarters. A preview of the exhibition was earlier held at the UN House in Moscow during an event, organized to mark the World Congress of Mountain Jews receiving Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council.
On 22 January, UNIC Moscow Director Vladimir Kuznetsov and team participated in a ceremony to award the participants of the XVIIth International Holocaust Remembrance Competition Memory of Holocaust - Road to Tolerance . The ceremony was organized by the Russian Research and Educational Holocaust Centre as part of a Holocaust Memorial week, with support from the Moscow City Government and Russian Jewish Congress. UNIC Moscow Director awarded the winners, jointly with three members of the competition panel of judges and Alex Goldman-Shayman, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Israel to the Russian Federation. The UNIC also screened the UN Secretary-General's video message for the Day at the event. SHOAH—The Holocaust: How was it Humanly Possible? - a multi-panel exhibition produced by Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem. During the ceremony, UNIC Moscow director addressed the audience with a brief statement focusing on preservation of the memory of Holocaust in the UN. He also recorded an interview for the media section of the Victory Museum, which is to be included in a story to be later aired on Ren-TV, a Russian federal TV channel.Diplomats Righteous Among the Nations , which was organized at MGIMO University, a high school specializing in training future diplomats. The exhibit was dedicated to the memory of those diplomats and civil servants from various countries who had showed exceptional heroism and unparalleled courage in saving the lives of Jews during the Second World War.
The exhibit hosted by MGIMO-University was put together by Foreign Ministry of Israel, the Embassy of Israel in Russia and the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem. The photographs and documents displayed at the exhibit were supplemented with some archival materials provided by the Foreign Ministry of Russia and a number of artefacts on loan from the Russian Research and Educational Holocaust Centre.
UNO Tashkent, Uzbekistan On 30 January, a solemn ceremony commemorating the victims of the Holocaust was held in Tashkent. Held in the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, the event was organized by the Embassy of Israel in Tashkent, with support from the United Nations Office in Uzbekistan. The event continued with a photo exhibition titled Beyond duty , which was devoted to the diplomats from 21 countries, which in spite of personal danger and in contravention of instructions from their governments saved Jews during the Second World War and later were recognized as "Righteous Among the Nations" by Yad Vashem - the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. Representatives of Uzbek governmental bodies, heads of diplomatic missions, international organizations, Jewish community, media and more than 100 students attended the event.
Beyond Duty at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy
UNO Tbilisi, Georgia United Nations Office in Tbilisi partnered with the European Law Students’ Association to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, with a screening of the film Children of the Holocaust , the display of The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust , and a panel discussion under the theme “Holocaust Remembrance and Education: Our Shared Responsibility”, reaching 65 students from four universities and eight youth organizations, on 27 January.
The panel discussion was moderated by Gio Meladze, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Constitutional Research at Ilia State University. The UNO seized the opportunity to remind the students of the importance of the commemoration and the link between the Holocaust and the founding of the UN, and delivered the UN Secretary-General’s message for the Day.
UNIS Vienna, Austria To mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust 2018, the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) Vienna, in cooperation with partners, organized several events and activities around the 2018 theme “Holocaust Remembrance and Education: Our Shared Responsibility”.Keeping the Memory Alive took place on 26 January 2018 in the Rotunda of the Vienna International Centre (VIC), organized by the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations in Vienna and UNIS Vienna. The event, moderated by UNIS Director Martin Nesirky, was attended by more the 180 UN staff members, representatives of Permanent Missions, civil society and the Jewish community.
On 29 and 30 January, UNIS Vienna organized two screenings of the documentary The Essential Link: The Story of Wilfrid Israel . The first screening, organized in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of Israel and the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom to the UN in Vienna, and This Human World (THW) Film Festival and Topkino, was part of UNIS Vienna's monthly film series Ciné-ONU Vienna. The film screening, attended by more than 190 people, was followed by a panel discussion with film director Yonatan Nir, H.E. Ms. Talya Lador-Fresher, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations in Vienna, and the Director of the Jewish Museum in Vienna, Danielle Spera. UNIS Vienna organized a second screening of the documentary at the Vienna International Centre (VIC).
The Holocaust Memorial Centre in Budapest marked the Day with a commemorative ceremony and the opening of the poster exhibition Keeping the Memory Alive on 26 January, attended by more than 100 people. The event also featured the video message of the UN Secretary-General António Guterres with subtitles in Hungarian, prepared by UNIS Vienna. The exhibition was on display until March. The Holocaust Memorial Centre also screened the documentary Children of the Holocaust , giving an opportunity for approximately 200 students to watch the film.On the edge , depicting the story of two Slovaks, Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler, who escaped from Auschwitz, and launched the exhibition of International Design Posters posters Keeping the Memory Alive .
To mark the day in Ljubljana, Slovenia, UNIS Vienna cooperated with the Gallery of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Ljubljana and the UN Association of Slovenia to open an exhibition titled State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda on 25 January. Prepared by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the exhibition consisted of posters of Nazi propaganda campaigns and their legacy. The opening featured the video message by UN Secretary-General António Guterres with subtitles in Slovene, prepared by UNIS Vienna. The exhibition of posters was on display at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana until 9 February 2018.
The primary school Narnia in Pezinok, Western Slovakia, held a series of activities commemorating the Day in March 2018. These activities included the presentation Ordinary things , a screening of the documentary Children of the Holocaust and the poster exhibition The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust , as well as the Holocaust Poster Set on Rescue: Traits that Transcend .
The United Nations Association of Slovenia, in cooperation with UNIS Vienna, is preparing to hold five workshops at local primary and secondary schools with the Footprints for Hope teaching material produced by the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme and translated into Slovene by UNIS Vienna. The UNA is also organizing a competition at art schools in Slovenia with student’s activities around The Butterfly Project exhibition.
UNIS Vienna’s Visitors Service continued to distribute branded USBs containing the Footprints for Hope teaching packet in English, German, Hungarian, Slovak and Slovene to visiting teachers from UNIS Vienna’s client countries, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia. In addition, all teachers visiting the UN in Vienna with a class (estimate: 2,000 per year) continued to receive a printed guide to multi-lingual on-line teaching resources on the Holocaust.
