Holocaust Memorial Day

25 January 2025
Discrimination, News & Knowledge

For a Better Future: Lessons from the Past to Build a More Inclusive Future

 

Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp, was liberated on January 27th—a day now marked as Holocaust Memorial Day. This somber anniversary calls us to reflect on the depths of human cruelty and the enduring importance of remembrance. The intent of this day is to remember what remains the largest and most systemic act of genocide ever perpetuated – along with the millions of other victims of World War II, so that we can avoid its repetition. Tragically, history has witnessed further genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur—underscoring the need for unwavering vigilance against the forces of extremism, racism, and xenophobia.

This year, the 80th anniversary, marks a particularly poignant moment in history. Following the events of October 7th in Israel and the absolutely devastating war in Gaza that followed, antisemitism has seen a substantial global increase. In my home of Sydney, I am writing this following news this morning of a firebombing and graffiti attack of a house in a very Jewish suburb, which itself follows after numerous other vandalism and arson attacks of synagogues and other Jewish suburbs across the country. The Australian government is considering convening a national cabinet to tackle this escalating crisis, as the Jewish community here finds itself extremely disproportionately targeted for acts of race based hatred – this is indicative of a frightening global trend.

Across in the world, as we see a global shift to the right wing driven largely by anti-immigrant sentiment, extremists are taking this opportunity to stir up old racist and xenophobic tropes, making many feel unsafe in the streets, in their workplace and even in their homes. As the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust put it, “Whilst racism and hatred do not always lead to genocide, all genocides begin with insidious stages including propaganda, ‘othering’ and dehumanisation.” Much of the inflammatory ultra-nationalist, anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rhetoric we are observing across the world today, whilst currently falling far short of the evil acts of the Nazi regime, do exactly mirror how those Nazi efforts began.

Gregory Stanton, President of Genocide Watch, outlined the 10 Stages of Genocide. These stages demonstrate how seemingly minor acts of prejudice or dehumanisation can escalate into large-scale atrocities.

The message here is clear: there are numerous opportunities for intervention by local and international communities in the early stages to stop isolation, exclusion and hatred before it turns into violence.

An encouraging sign, though, is that Jewish and Muslim leaders have stood shoulder to shoulder to denounce the violence in my home as un-Australian and uncivilized, demonstrating how unity across communities can act as a powerful counterforce to hatred and division. By standing together, they provide a beacon of hope and an example of how collaboration fosters inclusion and resilience in challenging times. Likewise, people of all faiths and ethnicities have joined protests to call for a cease of hostilities in Gaza and for the immediate release of hostages. (Shortly after writing this, a ceasefire deal was reached)

As a Jew and practitioner of inclusion in the workplace, this day holds unique meaning for me. The work we do on inclusion focuses on fostering common understanding and empathy, enabling us to shed the divisive ideas of “us vs them.”

By creating shared spaces for unity across our differences, inclusion directly counters the early stages of division and “othering,” dismantling the foundations that can lead to larger-scale prejudice or violence.

Put differently, inclusion undermines the very first step of the 10 stages of genocide, and an inclusive community thus is prevented from walking down that dark path.

The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day this year is For a Better Future. In this moment, may we all take a pause to consider how we can create a more inclusive, peaceful and better future where people do not suffer persecution and prejudice for who they are.