#WeRemember: Over 200,000 people post photos of themselves to remember Holocaust
Published January 25, 2017
(JTA) — More than 200,000 people from around the world have posted on social media photos of themselves holding signs saying “We Remember” in dozens of languages ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The social media campaign was launched two weeks ago by the World Jewish Congress in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is marked each year on January 27, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
The photos have been uploaded on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #WeRemember.
Many Holocaust survivors have posted their photos, as well as actors, politicians and world leaders. Among those who have taken their photo with a we remember sign are U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati, and members of the European Union Commission.
Thank you to Senator Chuck Schumer @SenSchumer for joining #WeRemember, and for his commitment to Jewish issues. Send us your pic&join too! pic.twitter.com/8LyaRkrZbO
— (((WJC))) (@WorldJewishCong) January 25, 2017
“#WeRemember and share a commitment to commemorate Holocaust victims and to honor those who stood against it.” – Albanian FM @ditmirbushati pic.twitter.com/Zuk3yJv8Gy
— (((WJC))) (@WorldJewishCong) January 25, 2017
#WeRemember. Every day. Together. Thank you for supporting our campaign, @EU_Commission, @EU_Justice and @kschnurbein! pic.twitter.com/voGbaLlpus
— (((WJC))) (@WorldJewishCong) January 24, 2017
Children in Pakistan and three generations of a family in Bolivia also participated in recent days.
Remembering in Pakistan. Thank you! #WeRemember pic.twitter.com/lZY3KfuON8
— (((WJC))) (@WorldJewishCong) January 24, 2017
Thank you for these pictures from Bolivia, spanning 3 generations! Join #WeRemember too: send in your photo with the sign today. pic.twitter.com/sRYefxuqNl
— (((WJC))) (@WorldJewishCong) January 24, 2017
“Anti-Semitism is more prevalent today than it has been at any time since World War II, and bigotry and discrimination still rear their ugly heads all around the world. This is why we all must declare, together, that we remember,” said World Jewish Congress CEO Robert Singer in a statement.
“The goal is to reach those who don’t know much about the Holocaust, or who might be susceptible to those who deny it entirely, and to remind the world that such horrors could happen again. Using the tools of social media we hope to engage the next generation, because, soon, it will be their responsibility to tell the story and ensure that humanity never forget,” Singer said.
Other participants include: schoolchildren in a Holocaust history class in Rwanda, Holocaust survivors in Lithuania, an imam in France, president of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, as well as others in Ghana, Morocco, Fiji, Uruguay, Chile, Latvia, Germany Kazakhstan, Canada, the United States and other countries. Israeli politicians also participated, including: President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and lawmakers Yair Lapid and Isaac Herzog.
The Auschwitz memorial and museum will screen the photos on the grounds of the former Birkenau death camp on Wednesday and Thursday.
