On 27 January, 2025, the World Jewish Congress (WJC) will lead of global Jewish leaders to the historic commemoration at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial to mark 80 years since the former Nazi camp’s liberation. WJC President Ronald S. Lauder, who also chairs the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation, will deliver remarks alongside Auschwitz survivors and Dr. Piotr Cywiński, director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Museum. The ceremony will pay tribute to the victims, emphasize the critical importance of Holocaust education, and reaffirm the global commitment to combat antisemitism and hatred.
Survivors attending the event have been brought together by Lauder and the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation’s Auschwitz 80 Committee, demonstrating a collective dedication to ensuring the Holocaust’s lessons remain resonant worldwide.
On 28 January, the WJC Special Envoys & Coordinators Combating Antisemitism (SECCA) Forum will convene in Krakow, bringing together government officials and Jewish community representatives. Discussions will focus on the implications of new technologies in fighting antisemitism and Holocaust distortion. The group will hold direct conversations with Meta, TikTok, and X about automated hate speech, the evolution of harmful content following October 7, and the role of Generative AI in addressing online hate.The forum will also feature insights from experts such as WJC Technology and Human Rights Institute Advisory Council Members, Dr. Yuval Shany, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, and Dr. Rob Williams, alongside Alice Nderitu, former UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide. Together, they will review innovative approaches to regulating online hate speech and protecting vulnerable communities.
As part of the World Jewish Congress’s #WeRemember campaign, a powerful global initiative to combat Holocaust denial and distortion, communities and institutions around the world are coming together to ensure the memory of the Holocaust continues to resonate. This year’s campaign, marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, will feature extraordinary displays of unity and remembrance, including the illumination of iconic landmarks in countries from Germany to Israel. By projecting the #WeRemember message or lighting buildings in yellow, these striking visual tributes will honor the victims of the Holocaust and demonstrate solidarity against rising antisemitism.
In addition to these symbolic displays, the WJC will expand its collaboration with UNESCO and TikTok to connect millions of users with verified educational resources, including aboutholocaust.org. More than four million social media users visited the site just last year. Through this partnership, the campaign continues to leverage the capacities of social media platforms to address Holocaust distortion and misinformation, ensuring that younger generations engage with accurate and accessible Holocaust education. Special content and survivor stories will amplify the voices of survivors and emphasize the enduring importance of remembrance.
By combining innovative digital strategies with visible, global acts of solidarity, #WeRemember underscores the necessity of remembrance as resistance to hatred. This year’s campaign encourages governments, cultural institutions, and individuals to join this collective effort, ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust remain a cornerstone in the fight against bigotry and intolerance. Â
