On January 24, 2012, the Holocaust Memorial Day - the Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust against the Jews during World War II - was held at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.Attending the event were Ms. Meirav Eilon Shahar - Ambassador of the State of Israel to Vietnam, Ms. Pratibha Mehta - Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Vietnam, Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Nhat Quang - Director of the Institute of African and Middle Eastern Studies and many guests from embassies of various countries and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1935, the Nuremburg Laws were enacted in Nazi Germany, depriving Jews of their citizenship and all other civil rights, opening the way for the massacres from 1938 to early 1945, causing the deaths of about 6 million Jews and many other ethnic groups in many European countries. In 2005, the United Nations issued Resolution No. 60/7, making January 27 every year the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
At the ceremony, delegates listened to a talk by speaker Orit Margaliot (Holocaust Memorial Museum) on the topic “Jews - Genocide and Memories” and watched a memorial film about Holocaust victims. The talk not only mentioned numbers and authentic historical data but also shared real stories - painful memories of victims and their families during the darkest period of human history. More than 70 years have passed, the pain of the Holocaust is still present because, as speaker Orit Margaliot shared: “Our biggest challenge is to find the faces and identities of the victims, trying to give them back their names. The Nazis tried to erase the existence of Jews not only in reality but also in memory”. Ms. Pratibha Mehta - Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Vietnam - said that the message of this year's Holocaust Day is "Rescue in the Holocaust: The courage to protect" - to honor those who risked their lives and those of their families to save Jews and others from almost certain death under Nazi rule. Many of them became prominent symbols of heroism and compassion, but many others received only silent gratitude from the very victims they helped. This year's commemoration aims to add to the historical record, and give these heroes the honor they deserve.
Speaking at the memorial service, Ms. Meirav Eilon Shahar - Ambassador of the State of Israel to Vietnam said: “Today is not only for remembrance, but also for vigilance, to protect the unforgettable memories of the Holocaust, and at the same time to renew our commitment to human rights and mutual understanding”. The Ambassador also emphasized that keeping the memories of the Holocaust alive is also to ensure that the lessons that humanity learned from the Holocaust will be remembered forever, passed on to the next generation and help avoid future acts of genocide. Representing the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Associate Professor Dr. Pham Quang Minh (Vice Rector) said that the memorial service is an important event and has great significance for the world community to better understand the value of peace, for the younger generation to have a deeper understanding of the past, towards good values and a brighter future.
