OSWIECIM, Poland – The virulent antisemitism that led to the Holocaust is still rampant around the globe today, World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder said against the backdrop of Monday’s solemn commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the former Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.
In a fundamental way, he added, a common thread links what happened at Auschwitz to the recent manifestations of Jew-hatred, including the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks on Israel: the age-old hatred of Jews. Antisemitism “had its willing supporters then, and it has them now,” said Amb. Lauder, who also serves as chair of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation and who has dedicated decades to preserving the site. “It was fed by the indifference of people who thought they were not affected because they were not Jewish.”
Amb. Lauder also stressed that antisemitic acts undermine the central tenets of civil society. “These attacks are not just targeting Jews,” he said. “They are an attack on Judeo-Christian values, which are the bedrock of Western civilization.”
He delivered his remarks alongside four Auschwitz survivors and Dr. Piotr Cywiński, director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Museum.
Tova Friedman, an Auschwitz survivor, reflected on the resilience of the Jewish people since the Holocaust, saying, "Instead our revenge has been to build a strong Jewish country and raise our families in peace. Many of you here have your wonderful families with you, just as I do. Eighty years after liberation, the world is again in crisis. Our Jewish-Christian values have been overshadowed worldwide by prejudice, fear, suspicion and extremism. and the rampant antisemitism that is spreading among the nations it is shocking.”
The event, whose audience included 50 official representatives from more than 50 nations, honored the memory of the victims, highlighted the significance of Holocaust education and underscored the unwavering commitment to combating antisemitism and hatred. The WJC delegation comprised top organizational leadership, Jewish communal heads and a group of survivors brought together by Amb. Lauder and organized and funded by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation and its Auschwitz 80 Committee.
The World Jewish Congress also commemorated the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau with a series of impactful initiatives.
As part of the World Jewish Congress’ annual #WeRemember campaign for International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a global initiative to combat Holocaust denial and distortion, Jewish communities, governments, sports clubs and leaders of industry showed their support to ensure the memory of the Holocaust is never forgotten. This year’s campaign featured the illumination of iconic landmarks including the European Commission headquarters in Brussels and the Bundestag in Berlin, as well as Israel’s Knesset, foreign ministry, the Jerusalem city walls, and Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Center. Major landmarks in Switzerland, Greece, and Czech Republic also took part. By projecting the #WeRemember message or lighting buildings in yellow, these striking visual tributes also signified solidarity against rising antisemitism.
The WJC also expanded its partnership with
UNESCO and TikTok to connect
millions of users with verified educational resources, including aboutholocaust.org. In 2024, more
than 4 million social media users visited the site. The campaign continues to
guide social media platforms to meaningfully address Holocaust distortion and
misinformation, and to ensure that younger generations engage with accurate and
accessible Holocaust educational resources.
The WJC Special Envoys & Coordinators Combating Antisemitism (SECCA) Forum will convene on Tuesday, Jan. 28, in Krakow, bringing together government officials and Jewish community representatives to discuss how new technologies can help to combat antisemitism and Holocaust distortion. The group will hold direct conversations with Meta, TikTok and X about automated hate speech, the evolution of harmful content following Oct. 7 and the role of Generative AI in addressing online hate.
Read Ronald S. Lauder's full remarks.
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