EU remembers victims of Holocaust
On the occasion of Holocaust Remembrance Day High Representative Catherine Ashton stated:
"Today the international community remembers the victims of the Holocaust. We honour every one of those brutally murdered in the darkest period of European history. We also want to pay a special tribute to all those who acted with courage and sacrifice to protect their fellow citizens against persecution.
On Holocaust Remembrance Day, we must keep alive the memory of this tragedy. It is an occasion to remind us all of the need to continue fighting prejudice and racism in our own time. We must remain vigilant against the dangers of hate speech and redouble our commitment to prevent any form of intolerance. The respect of human rights and diversity lies at the heart of what the European Union stands for. "
Exhibition on display at the UN
Helga Pollak-Kinsky was 12 years old when she was deported to the Theresienstadt ghetto and concentration camp. Born of an Austrian mother and a Czech father, she spent two years in Theresienstadt and Auschwitz.
Theresienstadt, a former garrison city from the Habsburg monarchy situated in the territory of today's Czech Republic close to the German border, became the first destination of many Czech Jews, as well as others sent there, such as elites, artists and academics, before being transported further East, mainly to Auschwitz. The majority died of hunger and sickness and only a very few escaped alive.
Helga Pollak-Kinsky survived and is today aged 83. An exhibition is dedicated to her and her little companions and their teachers' memory: "The girls of Room 28 - In Remembrance of the Children of the Theresienstadt ghetto".
The exhibition is based on Helga Pollak-Kinsky's diary from Theresienstadt (which is being published for the first time in German on 27 January 2014), the calendar notes of her father, the poetry album of her friend Anna Flachová (today a famous musician), and many other fragments collected by the curator Hannelore Brenner-Wonschick, an author and journalist from Berlin.
This exhibition has been on display since 2004 across Europe and Israel. The EU Delegation to the UN in Geneva has brought this exhibition for the first time to the UN. It is on display at the Palais des Nations between 27 January and 11 February 2014.
The opening on 27 January takes place in the presence of Helga Pollak-Kinsky and the curator Hannelore Brenner-Wonschick. The Permanent Missions of Israel and of the Czech Republic are associated with the exhibition.
UN Holocaust Remembrance ceremony
On 28 January 2014, the UN holds the official ceremony on the occasion of the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust in the Assembly Hall in the presence of 1000 official guests from the diplomatic community, the city of Geneva, and state authorities and high dignitaries from the Jewish community.
There will be a concert and musicians from Israel and Germany. EU Ambassador Mariangela Zappia will address the audience on the EU's commitment to upholding the memory of Holocaust victims and its work on reconciliation and the preservation of fundamental rights and freedoms.
She will also introduce the traditional keynote speech by a Holocaust survivor, which will be delivered by Helga Pollak-Kinsky. Helga Pollak-Kinsky can be compared to Anne Frank, whose diary is known all over the world. The ceremony can be followed live online starting at 5pm CET.
On 29 January, the UN organises an educational programme for schools and young people to teach them about the Holocaust. This year, around 200 children, aged 14 to 6 are expected to attend. Helga Pollak-Kinsky will speak to them about her experience and will guide them through the "Girls of Room 28" exhibition.
Background
In 2005 the UN General Assembly designated the 27 January as an annual International Day of Commemoration to honour the victims of the Holocaust, and urged Member States to develop educational programmes to instil the memory of the tragedy in future generations to prevent genocide from occurring again. The resolution A/RES/60/7, adopted by consensus, condemns without reserve all manifestations of religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief, whenever they occur.
Holocaust Remembrance Day in Geneva
Statement by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton on Holocaust Remembrance Day