Because remembering means looking at the present, not just the past. "Memory is a vaccine against indifference." Liliana Segre There are phrases that time does not wear away. On the contrary, the more the years pass, the more uncomfortable they become. Holocaust Remembrance Day should be this: not an emotional parenthesis, but a lens. A lens through which to observe what we have become.
Every January 27th, Holocaust Remembrance Day, we return to confront one of the darkest pages in human history: the Shoah. But remembering doesn't simply mean recalling the past. Remembering means taking responsibility in the present. Years ago, I wrote that "the Holocaust is history." It certainly is. But it's a history that can't be archived, because it continues to question us.
The past is a precious source of teachings, but only if we are willing to remember. This principle applies to every area of life, but becomes essential when it comes to human tragedies that have profoundly affected our history, such as the Shoah. Remembering is not only a moral duty, but a collective responsibility to build a more aware and just future.
