On January 27, 2025, top Jewish leaders will join a World Jewish Congress delegation at the site of the former Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp to solemnly commemorate the 80th anniversary of its liberation. WJC President Ronald S. Lauder, who serves as Chair of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation and has dedicated decades to preserving the site, will deliver remarks, alongside Auschwitz survivors and Dr. Piotr Cywiński, Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Museum. This historic commemoration will honor the memory of the victims, highlight the enduring importance of Holocaust education, and underscore the unwavering commitment to combating antisemitism and hatred.
The WJC leadership will be joined by a group of survivors, brought together by Lauder, and organized and funded by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation and its Auschwitz 80 Committee. This collective gathering reaffirms the enduring responsibility to ensure the lessons of the Holocaust continue to resonate worldwide.
SECCA Forum to Address Online Hate in Krakow:
On 28 January, the WJC Special Envoys & Coordinators Combating Antisemitism (SECCA) Forum will convene in Krakow, bringing together government officials and Jewish community representatives. Discussions will focus on the implications of new technologies in fighting 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 October 7, and the role of Generative AI in addressing online hate.The forum will also feature insights from experts such as WJC Technology and Human Rights Institute Advisory Council Members, Dr. Yuval Shany, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, and Dr. Rob Williams, alongside Alice Nderitu, former UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide. Together, they will review innovative approaches to regulating online hate speech and protecting vulnerable communities.
Illuminating Memory: The #WeRemember Campaign
As part of the World Jewish Congress’s #WeRemember campaign, a powerful global initiative to combat Holocaust denial and distortion, communities and institutions around the world are coming together to ensure the memory of the Holocaust continues to resonate. This year’s campaign, marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, will feature extraordinary displays of unity and remembrance, including the illumination of iconic landmarks in countries from Germany to Israel. By projecting the #WeRemember message or lighting buildings in yellow, these striking visual tributes will honor the victims of the Holocaust and demonstrate solidarity against rising antisemitism.
In addition to these symbolic displays, the WJC will expand its collaboration with UNESCO and TikTok to connect millions of users with verified educational resources, including aboutholocaust.org. More than four million social media users visited the site just last year. Through this partnership, the campaign continues to leverage the capacities of social media platforms to address Holocaust distortion and misinformation, ensuring that younger generations engage with accurate and accessible Holocaust education. Special content and survivor stories will amplify the voices of survivors and emphasize the enduring importance of remembrance.
By combining innovative digital strategies with visible, global acts of solidarity, #WeRemember underscores the necessity of remembrance as resistance to hatred. This year’s campaign encourages governments, cultural institutions, and individuals to join this collective effort, ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust remain a cornerstone in the fight against bigotry and intolerance.
