Reflections on this International Holocaust Remembrance Day
From the Desk of Lori Shepherd, Executive Director
Today, January 27th, is International Holocaust Remembrance Day (IHRD). This day, which coincides with the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, was set aside to offer a time to reflect and remember the victims and the survivors of the Holocaust.
As the Executive Director of Tucson Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center, one might think that, today of all days, I would take the time to write a thoughtful piece on the day’s significance, 81 years on from liberation and the end of the Holocaust. And I had planned to do so.
But then the day started. This morning’s school tour arrived early, even before our team had the museum open, exhibits readied, and the lights turned on. Just as I made it to my desk, a reporter reached out to ask for an interview, not about the commemoration but about the use of the word “genocide” and whether the Ten Stages of Genocide – which we use when talking about the Holocaust – might also be used to examine contemporary challenges to immigrants and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. As that call ended, another reporter reached out, asking to be put in touch with a local Holocaust survivor on this International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and looking to film an interview at the Museum.
In between, there were dozens of emails and texts all calling my attention to something important. Could I send over pictures from the International Holocaust Remembrance Day Shabbat services that we had hosted with Congregation Chaverim this past Friday? Could I talk with someone about their grandson’s Bar Mitzvah project featuring local Holocaust survivors? The next thing I knew, it was 2:00 p.m. and not only have I not had the chance to write a thoughtful piece about IHRD, I haven’t even had the chance to reflect on this day myself. I have barely had a moment to recall that just one year ago today, I was honored to be in Auschwitz for the 80th anniversary of this occasion. Nor have I had the chance to read the many (I am certain) wonderful reflections that my colleagues across the country and world have shared on this auspicious day.
I will likely not have a chance in the next few hours because we are hosting a local civic group for a special tour and gathering this evening.
As I grab a minute of reflection, what strikes me is this: the work that we do - of educating about the Holocaust and other genocides, gaining an understanding past events as a means of preventing future atrocities - is not the work of a single day. Nor can it be accomplished in one interview, or one school tour, or one visit to our museum. The work of creating compassion and building a more equitable community is a process. The work education and commemoration continues, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.