International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 81st Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau
27.01.2026
The Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre and the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre, in cooperation with UNIC Pretoria and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, commemorated the International Holocaust Remembrance Day in South Africa. The ceremony was attended by Jan Łazicki, Plenipotentiary of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Relations with the Jewish Diaspora, and representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria.
The theme of this year's commemorations and related educational programs at United Nations institutions is "Remembering the Holocaust for Dignity and Human Rights."
A key element of both commemorations was a candle-lighting ceremony as an expression of solidarity with the millions of Holocaust victims and as a sign of hope for respect for human life in the future. Jan Łazicki, the Minister of Foreign Affairs' Plenipotentiary for Relations with the Jewish Diaspora, recalled the Polish victims of the Holocaust and emphasized the importance of preserving memorial sites and educating future generations.
Among those gathered were witnesses of the Holocaust, including Warsaw Ghetto Survivor Wanda Albiński, representatives of Jewish organizations and communities, international institutions, diplomatic missions, the media, and South Africans. Jacek Chodorowicz, Head of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria, participated on behalf of the Embassy in Johannesburg, and Piotr Kruze, Deputy Head of the Embassy in Cape Town.
Established in 2005 by the UN General Assembly, International Holocaust Remembrance Day falls on January 27, the anniversary of the liberation of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Photos: Amit Melnik/ @melnik_photograpy1
