Amsterdam Remembers Auschwitz Liberation

When in Amsterdam....27 January remembers the Liberation of Auschwitz. In cold rain and melting snow Amsterdammers and dignitaries walked in silent procession from the Amsterdam City Hall to the Broken Mirrors Auschwitz Monument. The monument was constructed by Jan Wolders and is located in Wertheim Park.

Relatives, government officials, representatives of foreign governments and others commemorated the millions of Jews, Gypsies, handicapped, homosexuals and others murdered by the Nazis during World War Two.

Amsterdam Mayor, van den Laan made the keynote address. He questioned why had a government's key goal been to dehumanize and murder. He had read and studied much on the topic to find out why the Holocaust had happened; yet still he could not understand. Van den Laan felt responsible as a community leader that it never happens again.

Rabbi Menno ten Brink said the Yizkor and the Kaddish prayer in memory of the dead. There was also music of Roma and Sinti people. Young children also read how they understood the event.

"Never again Auschwitz" Auschwitz monument Amsterdam

An estimated 107,000 Dutch Jews, mostly from Amsterdam, were sent to concentrations camps, mainly Sobibor and Auschwitz. 5,200 Dutch Jews survived these camps and returned.

The liberation of Auschwitz by Russian forces 68 years ago is now an international day that remembers instances of genocide.


Amsterdam is home to the Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies.

When in Amsterdam....remember!

Holocaust Memorial Day 2013

When in Amsterdam....27 January is Holocaust Memorial Day. In 2005 then United Nations' Secretary General appointed 27 January a day of remembrance  The day remembers the liberation of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp in 1945. This day is a worldwide event and remembers those that suffered from genocide. Not just during the World War II but also in places such as Rawanda, Cambodia and Dafur.

In Amsterdam a remembrance ceremony will be held at the Broken Mirrors Monument in Wertheim Park. Before the ceremony a silent procession starts at Amsterdam City Hall at 11am. The ceremony at Wertheim Park begins at 11:30am.

Newly wed Jewish Amsterdammers who  died in the Holocaust

80,000 Jews lived in Amsterdam before Nazi occupation. By the end of WWII only 20% of the Jewish population survived. This was all due to Antisemitism and racism.

If you are unable to make the remembrance ceremony take a monument to think about those who have suffered from racial hatred. Think about how you can do your little bit to stop the emergence of racial hatred, Antisemitism and discrimination. Amsterdam is proudly Anti-discrimination. Without the many nationalities living in Amsterdam this city would not be celebrated Amsterdam of today.

When in Amsterdam....remember.