international holocaust remembrance day. then holocaust scholars on new findings about world war ii. and later reel american with the 1948 u.s. army film about the first trial to hold nazi war criminals accountable. the united states holocaust memorial museum in washington, d.c. hosted a commemorative ceremony to mark international holocaust remembrance day observed every january 27th on the anniversary of the auschwitz concentration camp liberation during world war ii. among the speakers are two that offered their memories and a player prayer. >> good morning, on behalf of the museum leadership, i want to welcome the many ambassadors, diplomats, representatives from

the u.s. state department, other u.s. government agencies, members of our holocaust memorial council and national jewish organizations. most importantly shs i want to give a special warm welcome to the many holocaust survivors who are with us today. it is in their honor and in memory of the victims that we are dedicated to make iing the world a better place for ourselves and for future generations. this event commemorating international holocaust remembrance day is being streamed live and so i also want to welcome those watching from across the united states and across the world. wherever you may be, you hope you will theshare your reflecti of the day on social media and tag the museum using #weremember. in 2005, the united nations

established this day to honor the memory of the victims of the holocaust to educate ourselves about that history and to draw from it lessons so that we may prevent future genocides. today we mark the 75th anniversary of the day that the soviet army liberated auschwitz. more than 1.1 million people were murdered there, most of them jews. millions more were murdered in other nazi death camps. many others were killed in their own villages or nearby. millions of non-jews were also dill kilned by the nazi and their collaborators and we remember all of them. all around the world, many governments, many u.n. offices are remembering the victims of the holocaust. the director of our museum is not here with us because she's in poland, where she will join

world leaders at a commemoration on monday at the site of auschwitz. let me say a word about the u.n.'s choice of today as our day to remember this tragedy. t. choosing the day on which soviet troops liberated auschwitz as our day would seem to lend itself to a particular type of commemoration, one that would focus on the glorious deeds of the liberating armies. and yet the world community has, from the very first, made a different choice. while of course we recognize that there would have been no end to the suffering had it not been for the heroic deeds of the allied armies, we nevertheless put our focus today on remembering the victims of the nazi onslaught. following in the tradition of the early memories, like prima

levi or ella, we shine the light on those who were persecuted, remember how they fought to retain dignity in suffering, and we honor those who by some miracle were able to make it to the day of liberation and reclaim their humanity. the fact that we focus on the victims and survivors rather than just the lib raters today is important. it's in honoring them that we come to understand the fragility of human civilization and through that understand how much depends on us. when we truly listen to the voices of the persecuted rather than the perpetrator, it gives us the understanding we need to create the world in which what happened to the jews of europe should never again happen to any people anywhere. only then can we truly say, never again.

we hope that all of you will join us in our pledge to learn from the stories of the victims and the survivors of the holocaust and from that to do more so that the next generations will not grow up in a world where mass violence is accepted as the normal course of events. now i'm very pleased and honored to have us with the ambassador of sweden to the united states, her exlency, carlan aura stotter. please join me in welcoming her to the podium. [ applause ] >> survivors of the holocaust, families and friends of survivors, exlepss and friends in general, of course, can anyone say when things begin? a grain of sand is laid next to another grain of sand, and before you know it, you have a mountain of sand in front of

you. these are the words of haiti freed. she was a -- she is a swedish hungarian, author and psychologist, a holocaust survivor who's tireless efforts continue to touch generations in if my country. she recalls how life changed during her upbringing in romania, slowly, step by step, probably unnoticeable for most people in the beginning. we must never be immune to the signs. our planet is under pressure. fundamental human rights values are being claenld. tolerance, equality, freedom of expression, social and economic rights are threatened in many parts of the world. with climate change, we experience an existential threat to all of us. we cannot take any for grantsed.

governments and leaders carry great responsibility. to protect our rights, and we must never stop reminding them. but it really all begins with you and me. with the ability to see a grain of sand. and our actions matter every day. 75 years ago this year, one of the darkest chapters in human history came to an end. as we turn new pages in the book of mankind, we must never forget the past. anti-smemtism, zeno phobia, intolerance and racism are still scourges to be confronted, in the united states, in sweden, and elsewhere. we see them in the rhetoric of extremist groups to the right and left, in conspiracy theories on the internet, in fundamentalist envooirmts, but also among ordinary men and women who cannot tell right from

wrong and recognize the true face of prejudice and propaganda. in this situation, no emtiness, no moral vacuum can be allowed to exist. with unhesitating clarity, we must expose, confront and combat antisubmitism wherever it may appear and no matter who expresses it. education is key. mindful of fading collective memories 20 years ago, the swedish government established a living history forum in sweden. an agency dedicated to preserving and telling the stories of holocaust survivors. many children and school classes have passed through its dooshz and listened to the voices. many have been given the opportunity to travel to concentration camp sites, to see for themselves what horror mankind is capable of if not stopped in time.

in 2018, the swedish government decided that a holocaust museum would be established in sweden. it will remind new generations of the values of tolerance. it will remind us of human dignity and strengthen the link to the global community of remembrance. in this context i am particularly pleased with the collaboration between sweden and the holocaust museum here in washington, d.c. together they have collected over 20 new testimonies from swedish jews and european, all of them who came after the war. now the files are stored and safeguarded for future generations in stockholm and also here in washington, d.c. 75 years is both a very long time, but at the same time a very short time. we must take over the torch from the voices that go silent one by

one. therefore, the swedish prime minister, stephan livion, has invited leads of state and government, researchers, experts and civil society from about 50 countries to a high-level conference in sweden in october. it will be an opportunity to take con creed steps in the fight for holocaust remembrance and against anti-semitism. one starting point of the forum in malma in 2020 are the stockholm declaration on education, remembrance and research about the holocaust from the year 2000. now there is the working definition. wand sweden endorses the working definition and the list of examples of anti-semitism that serve as iltrations. it's not a jewish problem. it's a problem for all of us. and on a day like this, i think

of row valiumi. he has deeply affected my wifer li life and world view. when i served i came across places and people who had been saved by him and where he had spent time, and they bore witness of his life and his deeds. in 1944, as a 32-year-old swedish businessman, he took on the risk to travel to budapest in order to conduct a major rescue action of jews threatened by nazi percencation. by issuing passports, employing hundreds of people, and hiring buildings in budapest which he declared as swedish territory and jews could seek shelter, he saved thousands of lives, many think even as many as 100,000 lives. he did not use traditional diplomacy, then he would have gotten nowhere. but everything from bribery to

threats and blackmail. he took great personal risks. and even if we peel off some of the myths around this person, wallenberg remains a remarkable symbol of personal courage in the fight against the atrosties of the second world war. in hindsight, it's very clear that the swedish government could have done much more to demand answers from the soviet union and their leadership of the wallenbergs' disappearance on the 17th of january, 1945. so today we must honor his life but never forgetting his deeds. wallenberg's believe in every human being's right to life and dignity is reflected in sweden's commitment to the defense of human rights principles throughout the world. it includes equal opportunities for all, the total abolition of

all forms oftor torture, and the freedom of thought. it includes the fight against anti-semitism, racism, whatever shape it takes. it begins at home and stretches beyond all borders. today, we are gathered to grieve with all of those view who still mourn the loss of family members, friend and loved ones. and your loss is our loss. the holeo cost inflicted a wound on humanity that changed us forever. but above all we have gathered to celebrate bravery, perseverance and the resistance of the human spirit, the strength of freedom and love. and it all begins of course with individual courage. every day, every hour, we must be able to recognize the grain of sand. and we must stand ready to act. and now it is my great honor to

hand over to miss ruth cohen, survivor of the holocaust, and thank you so much for sharing the stage with me. it's truly an honor. and thank you. [ applause ] >> thank you. thank you, ambassador. i was born in 1930 to a warm and loving family. my sister terry was older than i. my brother was younger. i had a happy childhood filled with extended family, many friends, and the opportunity to go to a great school, the hebrew school. on march 8th, 1938, checkslo

love yaukia was partitioned. the next morning my mother told us she had spent the night worrying about the future. my life began to change. my town became parts of hungry and boys and girls could no longer study in the same classroom. instead of zech we learned hungarian. my father's business was taken away immediately and our nanny had to leave because she was no longer allowed to work for a jewish family. shortly after, we learned that members of my mother's family had been taken to midonnic and murdered. my family officially went into mourning. in march 1944, hitler marched into hungry. our school was closed, and we had to wear yellow stars. by mid-april, we were forced to noofb a ghetto in mocha chiveo.

within days of our move, mr. zellcho, a man who had previously tried to buy our house, was allowed to just go in and empty it of all its contents. in mid-may, all jews here were marched to the brick factory where the railroad was lined with cattle cars. we were order into the cars. my 83-year-old grandmother in a wheelchair was taken on to a special car for inval ids. that was the last time i saw her. my biology teacher whom i admired and adored refused to climb the steps and was shot in front of everyone and left there for all of us to see. it was horrific. my next memory is entering the bareak in auschwitz where i spent the next six to 7 months.

my sisters friend was there. she informed us that our mother, brother and little cousins who had come with us had already been murdered. who could believe something so outrageous? but it was true. mirriam helped me get a job as a messenger girl and my sister became her assistant. when i had typhoid fever people i had met as a messenger saved my life by hiding me when the nazis came to the infirmary to conduct selections. sometime in july we got a message to be at a specific place where we might see our farg father. we met, saw him carrying blankets. we called out, waved to each other, and laughed with joy. a few weeks later we received the message from our uncle

illish who had come to auschwitz. we were to meet him at 4:00 at a spot near the barbed wire fence. we met him that day and on several more days. he informed us that soon he would be taken to the gas chambers. indeed in a few days, a friend of his came to our meeting spot and told us -- i'm sorry -- that our uncle had been killed. there are no words to adequately describe the horror of that moment. at the end of october, 500 women including my sister and i were taken to nurmemberg to work at a

cement plant. i was in great deal of pain and unable to work. shortly after, the factory was bombed and we were sent to another camp and another cement factory. due to my severe back pain, i couldn't work anymore, and just stayed in my bed. two days before the end of the war, we were in our bareak and suddenly saw men running down the hill with open bayonets. it was a group of white russian partisans. i remember our excitement and how we jumped up on the beds to see the men running toward the camp. most of the germans did not resist arrest by the partisans. but one officer tried to flee on his motorbike. he was shot in front of us. some cheered but most of us were shocked to see such cruelty. our humanity was still intact. the parti sanz invited everyone

who wanted to come to join them. those not leaving were told to stay in the camp to wait for the americans who were close by. about 120 women lost with the partisans. several hours later, the jewish women came back to the camp. they had been told that jews were not welcome to the prot stanz. antistittism was still alive and well. a month after liberation, my sister and i went back home to mocha chiveo where our dad was waiting for anyone who survived. what a glorious reunion that was. however, i was quite sick. six months later i went to a hospital in brattis lafba where i spent a year being treated for push elos irs of the spine, including nine months during which i was immobile. yet how lucky i was again. most people died from that

ailment. my father and sister now live near braprague and visit it at least once a month. other survivors from the jewish community also visit, giving me renewed hope in humanity. a year after leaving the hospital, in april 1944, my dad and i arrived at the new york harbor on the first night of passover, which also was my 18th birthday. the statue of liberty was ra waiting to greet us. even now when i pass lady liberty, i feel emotional and acknowledge the strong need for always believing in her message of hope. the holocaust teaches us about human nature. that there is great capacity for good as well as for evil. that when one group in a society is singled out for persecution,

other groups are likely to be targeted too. in small and large ways, each individual has the capacity to hurt or to heal, to savage or to save. perhaps the most important lessons to note at today's collaboration of the liberation of auschwitz is that the holocaust did not begin with auschwitz nor should it be solely defined with it. it began with words and small acts then infinitely larger ones that resulted in the murder of 6 million jews. for so many auschwitz is a symbol of ultimate expression, and the ultimate expression of hatred and inhumanity. for me it isn't the symbol. it was and is my reality. as i look around our world, i see groups like the yauzidi,

rohingya, and uyghurs, being persecuted, violence and even genocide. i'm scared at the alarming rise in anti-semitism and violence and deadly attacks on jews in the u.s. and elsewhere. it is appalling to see the stunning denial of the holocaust and how the experience of the survivors and victims are being distorted in the very places where it happened. i am so disheartened and stadly convinced that we have not learned the less ops that this history, my history, teaches. i imploer everyone, especially those in leadership positions, to be motivated by this history. use your authority and influence to push back against those who perpetrate the worst instincts in human behavior.

do what you can to ensure that our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren don't face the same atrosties. we can do better. we must do better. thank you. [ applause ] ♪

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[ applause ] good morning. my name is brett parson and i am a member of the metropolitan police department here in the nation's capital where i serve to lead our branch and among my many duties serve as the liaison to our jewish community here in washington, d.c. i am joined by my brothers in service, colonel kenneth williams and roberto gomez . we have been in programs with members of law enforcement, the judiciary and the military, all

organizations met to protect our democratic institutions, examine the role that those institutions had during the holocaust. case studies, examining the history helps members today look at their own roles and responsibilities. it's hard to imagine the number 6 million. but even harder to imagine that that number represents individuals, not just an individual number. because of that, we today remember those 6 million as individuals and as a group so that they will not be lost to

history. we remember them for their sake, but we also remember them for the sake of our own humanity. sophie hess, julie von weenen, takela mendels, bertha freedman, the freedman family, the schwartz family, richard broada, david josephson, roy cohen, rachel degroot, sovia swab, meyer degroot, isaac donald trumper, rivca gruber, sara gruber, isaac rosenstein, helena herselfcowits, jacob herskawits,

everyonest fiegel, agnes, marian fiegel. clara and jacob wiz nitser and their daughters roega, rachel and frieda. serrena matsaw, anneta, eftia, gita freeder, rosalia freeder, hermossa ben adere, ester, zbloeltan hassio, rosa lasslo, mic loesch libberman, vera freedlander, walter coaster, and ilsa harbrat.

>> slowmo mutapel, era and hymnda mennel and family, david and will hea gold faush and family, ar pat grun vald, haslo group grooum vald, i areme, mucia ana covitch, solmen bash, silva deutsch bash, joseph rosenthaul, regina rosenthaul, sharon rosenthaul lickter, yohan is raelz, as strid israelz, gassina gom perts pollack, iddy,

mina yablanski, han fred horowitz, felix levcowits, sinka mune -- eva mune zer, laya munezer, john nammic, lizzel ras kkin, malca weintraub, hymnda freed, goo stafb pick, year so bet ledderer, andre cornhouser, avron ponzak, david ponzak, moaniac peril muter, hava

kaufman, cheshia wolfman. fey epstein, hersh epstein, gitsaw epstein, maulta epstein, mirriam epstein, sura mirbaum, wolf mirbaum, sammy mirbaum, maulta spitzer, esther spitzer, nonum pitser, moe shay wax, hanna wax, leah wax, rachel freed, joseph freed, ribca befrt, samuel bester, cati rans felled, adolf ransfelld, sophie

marcus stein, richard stein, camilla skein, ragmanova, carla stein wagna lova, will hea pay roots, anna knoll, heinrich knoll, holda drymer, peery lay ah stein, laya folk foggel, jacob wise, golda wise, hanna wiese, esther wiese, mirriam wiese, moe shay wiese. we would like to invite alman -- > ser to lead the recitation of the morning kaddish.

>> we offer kaddish as a prayer of remember rarns, but the words of the kaddish reaffirm our faith in a higher power, a power that endouz us with the ability to learn from the past and to choose good over evil. please rise if you're able, and please remain standing following the kaddish for a moment of silence, as we remember all victims of the holocaust and all victims of bigotry and hate. [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] >> you may be seated.

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>> i would now like to invite holocaust survivors to join together with members of the diplomatic community to light memorial candles. following them, we invite all our guests to light a candle. ♪ ♪

♪ american history tv continues our commemoration of the world war ii holocaust. coming up, holocaust sur vires on new findings about world war ii. that's followed by real america with the 1948 u.s. army film nurmemberg about the first trial of nazi war criminals. new findings on the relationship between the brutality of the newtsy regime and the military campaigns were examined by holocaust scholars as part of the national world war ii museum's annual conference. ladies and gentlemen, welcome back. we go from a dark topic to probably the