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International Day of Commemoration
in memory of the victims of the Holocaust

 

2013 Holocaust Remembrance Week
Activities around the World

 

The United Nations and its global network of information centres (UNICs) held special events to mark the 2013 International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust (27 January) under the theme “Rescue during the Holocaust: the Courage to Care”. Events ranged from solemn ceremonies, to film screenings and text message campaigns. The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme provided these field offices with an educational package on rescue, which included a film, posters, a teacher’s guide and student handouts. Armed with the English text and the artwork, the Information Centres in Buenos Aires, Brussels and Moscow subtitled the film “The Rescuers” in Spanish, French and Russian. The film explores the lives of thirteen diplomats who risked their lives to save others during the Second World War. The Centres in Buenos Aires, Geneva and Moscow translated and printed an eight-part poster series on “rescue” created by the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR). The colourful posters highlight eight values embodied by those that rescued others during the Holocaust: Courage, Compassion, Ingenuity, Cooperation, Integrity, Social Responsibility, Self Sacrifice and Moral Leadership. The Holocaust Programme then provided the educational package to the information centres that provide services in English, French, Russian and Spanish.

The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme also encouraged the information centres to take part in the International Design Student Poster Contest held in partnership with the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research. The UNICs would hold local competitions and submit the top winners to the international judging panel, to be coordinated by Yad Vashem, The Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority. The top entries will be displayed at the Vienna International Centre in January 2014.

 

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UNIC Accra – UNIC Accra (Ghana) marked the 2013 International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust with several activities. Special events included a skype campaign, a student discussion and the launch of the International Design Student Poster Contest under the theme “Keeping the Memory Alive – Journeys through the Holocaust”. The student discussion, held at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, was organized in partnership with the Embassies of Israel and Germany. Professor Vincent N. Dodoo, Head of the Department of History and Political Studies at KNUST led the seminar for students of history and political studies.

UNO AlmatyThe United Nations Office in Almaty (Kazakhstan) organized events in both Almaty and Astana to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. On 28 January, a commemorative ceremony was held at the United Nations House in Almaty which featured a screening of the film "The Rescuers" followed by a discussion about the values demonstrated by the heroes portrayed in the film. On 29 January, the memorial event in Astana featured several film screenings and a concert. The event was organized in partnership with the Embassies of Hungary, Israel, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland and the United States of America. On 3 February, UNO Almaty partnered with the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan for another screening of “The Rescuers”.

UNIC Antananarivo – To mark the 2013 International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, UNIC Antananarivo (Madagascar) partnered with a number of schools to organize a series of film screenings and poster exhibitions on the theme “Rescue during the Holocaust: The Courage to Care”. The month-long remembrance opened on 28 January with an exhibit of the eight-part poster series on “rescue” created by the JFR and the launch of the International Design Student Poster Contest. The poster exhibition was hosted by various schools over the month including Lycée Jules Ferry, L’Université Estiim and L’Institut d’Etudes Politiques. Almost 1,000 students from the schools viewed the exhibition.           

picUNIC AsunciónTo mark the 2013 International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, UNIC Asunción, in partnership with the Consulate of Israel, organized a commemorative ceremony which took place at Paraguay’s bicameral Congress. The ceremony began with the national songs of Israel and Paraguay, followed by a minute of silence in honour of the victims of the Holocaust. Congresswoman Doña Perla Acosta de Vázquez made opening remarks which were followed by statements delivered by United Nations Resident Coordinator Lorenzo Jiménez de Luis and Israeli Ambassador Dorit Shavit.

UNO Baku – The United Nations Office in Baku (Azerbaijan) organized several events to mark the 2013 International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Students and members of the general public were invited to participate in a video screening of the film “The Last Flight of Petr Ginz” and discussion on the Holocaust and to view an exhibition of posters held at Chabad Ohr Avner School. The exhibition included the eight-part poster series on “rescue” created by the JFR and winning entries from the International Design Student Poster Contest 2012.

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Students from Chabad Ohr Avner School in Baku, Azerbaijan  view the JFR poster series
on rescue of Jews during the Holocaust, January 2013. Photo credit: UNO Baku.

ESCAP Bangkok – To mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Thailand, partnered with the Embassy of Israel to organize a remembrance ceremony under the theme “Never Again”, which was held on 4 February at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok. The event opened with the United Nations Secretary-General’s video message prepared for the day, and statements by ESCAP Deputy Director Shun-ichi Murata, Ambassador Simon Roded of Israel , Ambassador Peter Gottfried Schulze of Germany, and Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre. Guests then participated in a candlelight vigil and a reading of names of victims of the Holocaust. In a moving performance, students of the Mechai Pattana Bamboo School played “Imagine” by John Lennon on their ukuleles.  Later in the week, ESCAP hosted an exhibition from the Museum of Tolerance titled “The Courage to Remember” and organized a screening of the film “The Rescuers”. Government officials, representatives of several embassies and UN offices and students from local schools participated in the events.

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Students from Mechai Pattana Bamboo School in Bangkok, Thailand perform at
Holocaust emembrance ceremony. Photo credit: UNESCAP Bangkok.

UNIC Bogotá – The United Nations Information Centre in Bogotá (Colombia) partnered with the Apostolic Nunciature of Bogotá, the Embassy of Israel and the Jewish Community Human Relations Office to organize a commemorative event to mark the 2013 International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The 7 February event, held at the Apostolic Nunciature, featured an exhibition of  the eight-part poster series on “rescue” created by the JFR, the launch of the book “Sobrevivientes del Holocausto que rehicieron su vida en Colombia” (Holocaust Survivors That Rebuilt Their Lives in Colombia), and the United Nations Secretary-General’s video message for the day. Representatives from the Embassies of Israel and of Germany, The Holy See as well as Holocaust survivors from 11 different countries attended the observance. The event was covered by various local media outlets including El Tiempo, Elespectador and Vanguardia Liberal.

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Guests gather at the Apostolic Nunciature for Holocaust remembrance ceremony in
Bogotá, Colombia,  January 2013. Photo credit: UNIC Bogotá.

UNIC Brazzaville – On 25 January, UNIC Brazzaville (Republic of Congo) organized an educational event to mark the 2013 International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Almost 80 students attended the event which featured a screening of the film “Into the Arms of Strangers: The Story of the Kindertransport”. Students engaged in a discussion about rescue during the Holocaust following the film screening.

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Students in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, attend an educational event to mark
Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 2013. Photo Credit: UNIC Brazzaville.

UNRIC Brussels – The United Nations Regional Information Centre in Brussels (Belgium) organized several events in different regions to mark the 2013 International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. In Greece, UNRIC partnered with the Jewish Museum of Greece to distribute postcards to 5,000 students who participated in Holocaust remembrance events organized by the Jewish community and the Ministry of Education. The postcard serves as a reminder of the dangers of hatred, bigotry and racism. In Madrid, the Centre partnered with Centro Sefarad-Israel to organize a screening of the film “The Rescuers”, which was made available with subtitles in Spanish by UNIC Buenos Aires. UNRIC Brussels also facilitated the subtitling of the film “The Rescuers” into French for use by United Nations Information Centres with French-speaking audiences.

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Postcard in Greek created by UNRIC Brussels, January 2013.

UNIC Buenos Aires – Holocaust survivors, Ambassadors and representatives from local government and non-governmental organizations gathered on 25 January at the Buenos Aires Shoah Museum in Argentina to mark the 2013 International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Guests viewed a segment of the film “The Rescuers”, which had been subtitled in Spanish by the Centre, after hearing opening remarks delivered by UNIC Director David Smith. The screening was followed by a candlelight vigil. UNIC Buenos Aires also mounted an exhibit of the JFR poster series on “rescue” at the Museum and facilitated the printing of the posters in Spanish for United Nations Information Centres with Spanish-speaking audiences.


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Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony at the Buenos Aires Shoah Museum,
Argentina, January 2013. Photo credit: UNIC Buenos Aires.

UNIC Bujumbura – To mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, the United Nations Information Centre in Bujumbura organized an educational programme which took place at Saint Michel Archange Secondary School in Bujumbura on 28 January. Students participated in a screening of the film “The Rescuers”, which was followed by an interactive discussion on lessons learned from the rescuers featured in the film. Students also viewed the photo exhibit “The Shoah in Europe” and an exhibit of the JFR poster series on “rescue.”

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Students of Saint Michel Archange Secondary School in Bujumbura Burundi participate in a
discussion on rescue during the Holocaust, January 2013. Photo credit: UNIC Bujumbura.

UNIC Canberra - On 27 January, local politicians, diplomats and the Jewish community came together to observe the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust at the Sydney Jewish Museum in Australia. UNIC Director Christopher Woodthorpe delivered the Secretary-General’s message for the international day, which was followed by moving testimonies from survivors and their relatives. More than 300 people attended the event organized in partnership with the Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants and the Sydney Jewish Museum.



Holocaust memorial ceremony at the Sydney Jewish Museum, Australia, January 2013
Photo credit: UNIC Canberra

UNIC Dakar – In partnership with the Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (UCAD), the National Senegalese Commission for UNESCO, and the Embassies of Israel and Rwanda, The United Nations Information Center in Dakar (Senegal) organized a ceremony and photo exhibition to mark the 2013 International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Over 1,000 students and teachers attended the remembrance ceremony, which featured a video message by the United Nations Secretary-General and remarks by the ambassadors of Israel and Rwanda. Both events were held at UCAD and were covered by various local media outlets including TV RTS, Canal info, RDV, Sen TV, Sud FM,Zik FM, Siweul FM as well as local newspapers.

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Students and teachers attend a remembrance ceremony at
UCAD in Dakar, Senegal in January 2013. Photo credit: UNIC Dakar.

UNIC Dar es Salaam – On 30 January, The United Nations Information Centre in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) marked the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust with a film screening of the film “The Rescuers” and a discussion held at the British Council Hall in Dar es Salaam. Almost 80 students and youth from Dar es Salaam secondary schools and universities participated in the event. UNIC Dar es Salaam uploaded the events report on the UNIC website and posted the United Nations Secretary-General’s message prepared for the day on Facebook. UNIC Dar es Salaam also translated the Secretary-General’s message, posters and produced the Holocaust Programme’s bookmark in Kiswahili and distributed them to the students in attendance.

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Students attend a Holocaust Remembrance event at the British Council Hall,
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, January 2013. Photo credit: UNIC Dar es Salaam.

UNIS Geneva – The United Nations Information Service in Geneva (Switzerland) organized several events to mark the 2013 International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. On 29 January, more than 400 people gathered at the United Nations Office at Geneva for a remembrance ceremony which included a performance by Saint-Gervais Theatre actor José Lillo, the Secretary-General’s video message prepared for the day, and remarks by Director-General Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Ambassador Eviatar Manor of Israel and Holocaust survivor Régine Frydman. On 30 January, the Office also organized a commemoration for youth aged 9-11 centered around the film “The Last Flight of Petr Ginz”. The commemorative events concluded with a film screening of “The Rescuers” for staff members, held on 7 February.

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Students attend a Holocaust education event at United Nations Office at
Geneva, Switzerlad, January 2013. Photo credit: UNOG.

UNO Kyiv - To mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, the United Nations Office in Kyiv (Ukraine) and several organizations organized a number of events to pay tribute to the 3,000 Ukrainian citizens and other nationals who risked their lives to save Jews and others during the Second World War. On 27 January, in partnership with the Ukrainian Centre for Holocaust Studies and the Goethe Institute, the Office organized a roundtable discussion for educators titled “Holocaust Commemoration and the Ukrainian Society: Research and Educational Perspectives”. On 30 January, the Office organized a screening of the film “The Rescuers” at the German Cultural Centre for more than 100 students and teachers from Kyiv’s schools. During the week of 27 January, the Tarasa Shevchenko Library hosted a photo exhibition titled “The Righteous of Babyn Yar” which portrayed unknown heroes who risked their lives to save Jews. Maksym Hon, Chair of Political Science at Rivne State Humanitarian University presented his new textbook on the history of genocide at the exhibit.

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Students gather for film screening of “The Rescuers” held at the German Cultural Centre in Kyiv,
Ukraine on 30 January 2013. Photo credit: United Nations Office Kyiv.

UNIC Lima – UNIC Lima launched a Facebook campaign to highlight the theme of the 2013 International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust: “Rescue during the Holocaust: The Courage to Care”. Visitors to the site were asked to submit a fitting slogan for the campaign. The phrase "Six million reasons to not forget, to celebrate life, for hope", was chosen as the winning submission. The authors, Alonso Gurmendi and Nelly Shisco (pictured), were invited to visit the UNIC to pick up their prizes where they spoke about the importance of remembering the Holocaust to prevent future acts of genocide.

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Alonso Gurmendi and Nelly Shisco collect prizes for a winning
Facebook campaign slogan at UNIC Lima, Peru. Photo credit: UNIC Lima.

UNIC Lusaka In Lusaka, Zambia, the United Nations Information Centre organized a remembrance ceremony around a screening of the film “The Rescuers”, which was held at the UNIC premises. In opening remarks, National Information Officer Mickie Mumba spoke about the importance of Holocaust remembrance in combatting racism, xenophobia, discrimination and bigotry. Participants observed a minute of silence in memory of the diplomats featured in the film who risked their lives to save others, and then lit candles as Rabbi Yalenga led the Kaddish hymn and Hatikva anthem of Israel. In a discussion that followed, participants voiced concern for the need of outreach activities on the Holocaust on a regular basis. UNIC Lusaka reached out to an additional 8,500 people through an SMS message campaign.

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Participants light candles in memory of the victims of
the Holocaust, January 2013. Photo credit: UNIC Lusaka.

UNIC ManilaTo mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, UNIC Manila organized a screening of the film “The Rescuers”. The Centre also launched the International Design Student Poster Contest using Facebook and will display the local top entries at the UNIC office.


UNIC Mexico CityThe United Nations Information Centre in Mexico City (Mexico) partnered with a number of organizations and schools to organize several events to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. On 22 January, UNIC Mexico City partnered with Anahuac University to organize the exhibit “The Shoah in Europe”. The exhibit opening included a round table discussion with Ms. Laura Angélica Rojas Hernández, President of the Commission on International Relations of the Senate, university students and faculty members. This exhibit was also displayed at the Biblioteca Pedagógica de Estado de México in Toluca on 15 February. On 25 January, UNIC Mexico City organized a day long event to mark the international day of remembrance, which took place at the UN House. The event included a screening of the film “The Rescuers” for secondary students, followed by a discussion on the Holocaust. Later that day, UNIC Director Jadranka Mihalic hosted a solemn ceremony in memory of the victims of the Holocaust and an exhibit opening featuring the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous poster series on rescue.

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UNIC Mexico City mounts an exhibit of the JFR posters at their premises, January 2013.
Photo credit: UNIC Mexico City.

UNIC Mexico also participated in several commemorative events to mark the international day of remembrance. On 24 January, UNIC participated in a commemorative ceremony organized by the NGO PAAZ, which took place at the National Museum of History and Anthropology in Mexico City. On 25 January, Ms. Mihalic took part in a forum at Colegio Hebreo Monte Sinaí, organized by Yad Vashem Mexico as part of its “Adopt a School Programme”. On 28 January, the UNIC Director also participated in a commemorative ceremony at the National Museum of History and Anthropology in Mexico City, hosted by the Human Rights Commission. On the same day, Deputy Director Juan Miguel Diez took part in a commemorative ceremony at the Chamber of Deputies in Mexico City, organized by Mexican National Congress, where he read the United Nations Secretary-General’s message prepared for the day. On 29 January UNIC participated in a commemorative event organized by PAAZ, which took place at the municipality of Ecatepec. And on 21 February, UNIC attended a commemorative event organized by the NGO PAAZ and the Government of the State of Oaxaca.

UNO Minsk The United Nations Office in Minsk (Belarus) commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day with an exhibition titled “My Righteous”, held at the Minsk City History Museum. The exhibit featured black and white photographs of rescuers from Belarus, which were taken by the well known Belarussian photographer Anatoly Kleschuk. The exhibit was opened with remarks by Ambassador Yosef Shagal of Israel, UNO Representative Victor Radivinovski and Photographer Anatoly Kleschuk.

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Photo of a Irina Masyukevich (Масюкевич Ирина) whose family rescued Jews
during the Holocaust in Belarus. Photo Credit: Anatoly Kleschuk.

UNIC MoscowTo mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, UNIC Moscow (Russian Federation) partnered with the Jewish Museum and Center of Tolerance and the Russian Scientific Research Centre on the Holocaust to organize a screening of the film “The Rescuers”, which had been subtitled into Russian by UNIC Moscow. The Information Centre also translated the JFR poster series on “rescue” and supporting teacher’s guide and student handouts into Russian for use by United Nations Information Centres with Russian-speaking audiences.

UNIC NairobiThe United Nations Information Centre in Nairobi (Kenya) partnered with the Embassy of Israel to conduct a training programme to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Twenty students from the Universities of Nairobi, Moi, Daystar and the United States International University attended the training session held at the UNIC premises in December. In addition, UNIC Nairobi organized a remembrance ceremony held at UNON on 25 January which featured a candlelight vigil and a screening of the film “The Last Korzac Boy”. Model UN Conference participant Katie Gilmer presented remarks at the ceremony and said, “Let us remind each other that EVERY man, woman and child is of infinite worth…..We can be an example to the world by treating people with decency and respect, honouring one another above ourselves. By so doing, we can keep the Holocaust memory as a valuable warning and move forward to a future full of respect, love and harmony.” UNIC also mounted an exhibition on the Holocaust and screened the video “The Rescuers” to about 300 guests that included government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, university students, journalists and UN staff.

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Katie Gilmer (MSMUN student) presents remarks at the Holocaust commemoration
organized by UNIC Nairobi, Kenya, January 2013. Photo credit: UNIC Nairobi.

UNIC New DelhiIn partnership with the Alliance Française de Delhi and in association with the Embassies of Israel and France in India, UNIC New Delhi organized a commemorative ceremony to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The event, held on 28 January, featured a screening of the film “A Film Unfinished”, and was opened with remarks by UNIC Director Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman, Ambassador Alon Ushpiz of Israel and Ambassador François Richier of France.

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Invitation to the Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust,
New Delhi, India, January 2013. Photo credit: UNIC New Delhi.

UNIC Panama City - To mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, UNIC National Information Officer Jisselinde González participated in a solemn ceremony held at the Senate. Distinguished speakers included Israeli Ambassador Alexander Galilee and the President of the Senate, H.E. Mr. Sergio Gálvez. Ms. González delivered the United Nations Secretary-General’s message prepared for the day. The ceremony ended with a candlelight vigil and the transfer of the "travelling plaque" in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The plaque, which contains the handprints of Holocaust survivor Simon Burstein and his descendants, was viewed by over 200 people while on display at the UNIC Panama premises before being transferred to the German Embassy at the end of February. Ambassador Herman Sausen of Germany received the plaque at the embassy in a ceremony that included members of the diplomatic corps, government officials and staff members from the NGO Activistas por la paz.

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Guests participate in a candlelight vigil at the Senate in Panama, January 2013.
Photo credit: UNIC Panama.


UNIC Pretoria - On 27 January, UNIC Pretoria (South Africa) delivered the message of the United Nations Secretary-General at the Holocaust remembrance ceremony organized by The Johannesburg Holocaust Centre. The United Nations Information Centre also coordinated an educational activity for 150 high school students in Orange Farm, located South of Johannesburg. The grade 9 learners are studying the Holocaust as part of the social science curriculum. The UNIC librarian read the Secretary-General’s message and reminded students that the day serves as a reminder for tolerance, respect and peace.

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Students examine posters from the JFR series on “rescue” at the Johannesburg
Holocaust Centre, South Africa, January 2013. Photo credit: UNIC Pretoria.


UNIC Rio de Janeiro - The United Nations Information Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, organized a social media campaign to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.  The Centre used Twitter and Facebook to promote the 2013 theme of "Rescue during the Holocaust: The Courage to Care". The Facebook posts included the Secretary-General's message of the United Nations, which it translated into Portuguese.

UNO Tbilisi The United Nations Office in Tbilisi (Georgia) organized a Holocaust remembrance event on 27 January to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The event, which featured a screening of the film “The Rescuers” and discussion, was held at the Amirani Theatre with more than 90 high school and university students in attendance. Participants paid tribute to Georgian cleric St. Grigol Peradze who sheltered Jews during the Holocaust. St. Grigol Peradze was captured by the Nazis and killed at Auschwitz on 6 December 1942. In the discussion period that followed the film, 19-year old student Nino Kakhiani commented that “we can stop history from repeating itself by promoting interfaith understanding, equality and mutual respect”.

UNIC Tokyo - The United Nations Information Centre in Tokyo (Japan) launched a social media campaign on Facebook to observe the 2013 International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The Centre translated the JFR poster series on “rescue” into Japanese and posted the posters and stories about the 16 heroes featured in the film "The Rescuers" on their Facebook page.

UNIC Tokyo, Japan, Facebook posting on rescuers during the Holocaust, January 2013.
Photo credit: UNIC Tokyo.

UNIS Vienna - To mark the 2013 International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, UNIS Vienna organized events in several countries it covers including Austria, Hungary, Slovenia and Slovakia.

In Austria, UNIS Vienna partnered with the Permanent Mission of Israel to open the exhibition "Visa's for Life: The Righteous Diplomats" on 8 January at the Vienna International Centre Rotunda. More than 80 people attended the opening which featured remarks by UNIS Director Janos Tisovszky, Ambassador Aviv Shir-On of Israel, and Philippe Scholtes, Director of the Agribusiness Development Branch of UNIDO. Mazlan Othman, who represented the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna, delivered the message of the United Nations Secretary-General prepared for the day. On 4 February, UNIS Vienna organized a screening of the film "The Rescuers" at cinema Topkino, which was followed by a panel discussion. Panellists included Ambassador Aviv Shir-On of Israel, Ambassador Joseph Estey Macmanus of the United States and Ambassador Thomas Greminger of Switzerland. The discussion was moderated by UNIC Director Janos Tisovszky. The Centre also distributed 70 DVD teaching sets to local schools, which were produced in cooperation with the Holocaust Memorial Institute in Budapest.

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UNIS holds commemoration event at the VIC Rotunda in Vienna, Austria, January 2013.
Photo credit: UNIS Vienna.

UNIS Vienna also coordinated outreach activities in Hungary, Slovenia and Slovakia which were centered around the JFR poster series on “rescue”, DVD teaching sets produced by UNIS Vienna in partnership with the Holocaust Memorial Institute, and DVD teaching sets developed by the Shoah Foundation in Hungary. Special events in these countries included a Holocaust Remembrance Day event held at the Holocaust Memorial Centre in Budapest on 27 January, and an exhibition of the JFR poster series on “rescue” at the Baroque courtyard of the University Library in Bratislava, Slovakia.


UNIC Warsaw - On 27 January, Ms. Mariola Ratschka, Officer-in-Charge of UNIC Warsaw (Poland), participated in a wreath-laying ceremony organized by the Shalom Foundation. Ms. Ratschka delivered the United Nations Secretary-General's message produced for the day, which the Centre translated into Polish. The ceremony was held at the Ghetto Heroes Memorial in Warsaw.

UNIC Windhoek – To mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, UNIC Windhoek (Namibia) organized a screening of the film “Footprints for Hope”. Students were invited to create a display from shoes which served as a symbolic reminder of the shoes of the victims that were left behind at the Nazi death camps.

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Students in Windhoek, Namibia,  display the shoes they created for their display
inspired by the film “Footprints for Hope”, January 2013. Photo credit: UNIC Windhoek.

UNIC YangonOn 28 January, The United Nations Information Centre in Yangon (Myanmar) organized a day-long commemorative event to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust in partnership with the Embassies of Germany and Israel, the Ministry of Education, the French Institute, the British Council and the American Center. The event, held at Yangon University, was opened with remarks by German Ambassador Christian-Ludwig Weber-Lortsch, Israeli Ambassador Hagay M. Behar, and United Nations Resident Coordinator Ashok Nigam who delivered the United Nations Secretary-General’s message prepared for the day. Following the welcoming remarks, visitors participated in a candlelight vigil and observed a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Mr. Sammy Samuels of the Myanmar Jewish community led the audience in the Yizchor remembrance prayer. The prayer was followed with a poetry reading in English and Burmese by Yangon University students. Other events organized for the day included a screening and discussion of the film “The Last Korczak” and a lecture given by Yangon University Professor Kyaw Win titled “Ultra-Nationalism and Ethnic Cleansing in History”. UNIC Yangon also translated into Burmese student handouts on Dr. Korczak, a rescuer of Jewish children during the Holocaust. The events were covered by the media outlets Skynet, Myanmar National TV, and MRTV4.

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Students at Yangon University participate in Holocaust Remembrance
Events in Myanmar, January 2013. Photo credit: UNIC Yangon.

UNO Yerevan –The United Nations Office in Yerevan (Armenia) partnered with the Embassies of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Ukraine to organize a film festival in observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.  More than 400 people attended the film festival held at Cinema Moscow in Yerevan, which included a screening of the film “The Rescuers”. Speakers included United Nations Resident Coordinator Henriette Ahrens, Ambassador Zdzislaw Raczyński of Poland and Ambassador Ivan Kukhta of Ukraine. The film festival, “Conflict and Reconciliation in the Central-Eastern European Cinema”, was promoted by UNO Yerevan by social media and covered by seven television stations and several other media outlets. The Office also produced a banner and posters for distribution in universities and cultural centres.

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Participants at film festival held at Cinema Moscow organized by UNO Yerevan, Aremnia,
January 2013. Photo credit: UNO Yerevan.

 

The United Nations Development Programme in Vietnam participated in a seminar on the Holocaust organized by H.E. Ms. Meirav Eilon Shahar, Ambassador of Israel to Vietnam. Ms. Mehta delivered the United Nations Secretary-General's message prepared for the day. This event, held on 24 January, was the first Holocaust memorial observance to be held in Vietnam.