Holocaust Memorial Day, marked each year on January 27, the date of the liberation of Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945, is the international day of remembering the victims of the Holocaust and of other genocides, and honoring survivors. This year we honored victims of the Holocaust with two exhibitions.

One commemorating Pharrajimos, the Roma Holocaust that took toll of thousands of innocent lives, and an other one remembering the very person Carl Lutz, who stood up against the horrible act of Holocaust and courageously saved lives of thousands of Jewish people in Hungary. It should also remind us of our duty and moral obligation to make sure that the horrendous crimes committed are neither forgotten, nor repeated in Europe or elsewhere in the world.

The commemoration was shared by Mr. Ernő Kállai, Parliamentary Commissioner (Ombudsman) for National and Ethnic Minority Rights, Mr. Lajos Korózs, State Secretary (Deputy Minister) for Social Affairs and Labor and Mr. László Teleki, Member of Parliament, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Roma Affairs, as well as Professor Charles Gati,

who have contributed to this event by giving the audiance their thoughts. Several representatives of the political and diplomatic circles, including Mr. Vilmos Szabó State Secretary (Deputy Minister) for Foreign Affairs and several ambassadors, as well as Annette Lantos and other honorable members of the Hungarian community were present.

“I want to remember to know. I want to know to understand. I want to understand to help others in remembering, knowing and understanding so as to create a society in which nobody has to see the ugly face of History, the ugly face of Man ever again, and nobody has to fear for their life or security. I do believe that these exhibitions contribute to remembering, knowing and understanding.” – concluded Ambassador Béla Szombati.