Archive · 27 Jan 2026
Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemorates Survivors and Victims
Every year on January 27, people around the world remember the Holocaust, which was a very sad and terrible time when millions of people, mostly Jews, were killed by the Nazis.
This day is called International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
It is the anniversary of when the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp was freed by the Soviet forces.
People light candles, lay flowers, and have ceremonies to honor the victims and survivors.
There are now about 196,600 Holocaust survivors left, and most of them are children who were born during or after the war.
Some survivors are sharing their stories for the first time.
In Israel, they have a different day to remember the Holocaust, which is in April.
It's important to remember these events so that we can learn from history and make sure something like this never happens again.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed on January 27, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Commemorations took place across Europe, Israel, and at the United Nations, with survivors laying flowers and wreaths at memorial sites.
Nazi Germany murdered approximately 1.1 million people at Auschwitz, mostly Jews, but also Poles, Roma, and others.
There are an estimated 196,600 Jewish Holocaust survivors still alive globally, with 97% being 'child survivors' born in 1928 or later.
Some Holocaust survivors are sharing their stories for the first time, highlighting the importance of remembrance as the number of survivors dwindles.
- Who
- Holocaust survivors, world leaders, and communities across Europe and beyond
- What
- Commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day
- When
- January 27
- Where
- Across Europe, Israel, and at the United Nations
- Why
- To remember the victims and survivors of the Holocaust and to reflect on the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany
- Date of Commemoration
- January 27
- Auschwitz Liberation Date
- January 27, 1945
- Auschwitz Victims
- 1.1 million (mostly Jews, also Poles, Roma, and others)
- Global Holocaust Survivors
- Approximately 196,600
- Child Survivors
- 97% of remaining survivors
- Holocaust Victims
- 6 million Jews and millions of others
- Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day
- April (anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising)
