remembering

Recommendations from vermont holocaust memorial

On January 27th each year much of the world marks the United Nations instituted International Holocaust Memorial Day. On that date in 1945, the Soviet army entered the Auschwitz extermination camps system, liberating only approximately six thousand prisoners - most of whom ill and dying. Just before liberation, some 60,000 prisoners of those camps were forced to march west by the Nazis. In the Auschwitz system alone, the camp authorities killed one million Jews, approximately 74,000 Poles, 21,000 Roma (Gypsies), and 15,000 Soviet prisoners of war.

In the U.S. and Israel, the Holocaust is commemorated most profoundly on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is the 27th day of the month of Nissan on the Jewish calendar. That date was chosen as it is the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising - the largest uprising by Jews during World War II. Since the Jewish calendar is not exactly aligned with the Gregorian calendar, Yom HaShoah usually falls sometime between mid-April and early May.

The Holocaust stands as one of the most thoroughly documented atrocities in human history, yet denial, distortion, and ignorance persist. Education remains the most effective safeguard against these dangers.

Vermont Holocaust Memorial takes the responsibility of sharing these essential lessons personally. As we see the alarming rise of antisemitism around the world, it is more important than ever to recognize the critical lessons of Holocaust history, commemorate the victims, and honor the survivors.

Below are some online opportunities to reflect and remember during this month’s International Holocaust Remembrance Days. Please join us and ensure that Holocaust education continues for future generations.

Monday, January 26, 2026 | 7:30PM ET

Lappin Foundation (Zoom) HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR MAGDA BADER SHARES HER MEMORIES

“The lesson is that people should take care of each other and be helpful and kind and give each other a chance, no matter their background, what religion they are, what color skin they have, or where they are from.”
Magda Bader, Holocaust Survivor

The split second it took for then 14-year-old Magda Bader to let go of her mother’s hand and take her sister’s hand to leave the line destined for the gas chamber was her life-changing moment of survival. We invite you to hear Magda Bader’s testimony of her lived experiences during the Holocaust as she shares memories of the ghetto, deportation, surviving Auschwitz, and more.

All registered participants will receive a follow-up email with a link to the recording. REGISTER HERE

Tuesday, January 27, 2026 | 1:00 PM ET 

FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS: Echoes & Reflections (Webinar) BEHIND EACH NAME IS A LIFE

Commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day by introducing your students to an important mission – recovering the identities and memory of those whom the Nazis sought to erase. Sheryl Ochayon, Yad Vashem's Project Director, will use the database and Pages of Testimony of Yad Vashem to tell the stories of some of the lives lost in the Holocaust. Yad Vashem announced in November that it has reached a milestone in recovering the names of 5 million of the 6 million victims. REGISTER HERE

Wednesday, January 28 | 5:30 - 6:45 p.m.

RESEARCHING FAMILY HISTORIES (Zoom Webinar)

Cohen Institute for Holocaust & Genocide Studies, Keene State College, NH

Over the years, many students and community members have approached Cohen Institute staff members with questions about how they can get started with research into family members who were affected by the Holocaust. Susan Evans, Ed.D., a Research and Reference Specialist at the David M. Rubenstein National Institute for Holocaust Documentation at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum will explain how those who wish to initiate such research can submit a personal inquiry and she will also reveal what the Museum’s Research Services team has found while doing research on behalf of one of our local community members here in New Hampshire as an example of how this process can unfold. REGISTER HERE