Days of Remembrance Commemoration Ceremony
Since 1982, the Museum has organized and led the national Days of Remembrance ceremony in the US Capitol with Holocaust survivors, liberators, members of Congress, White House officials, the diplomatic corps, and community leaders in attendance.
2023 National Days of Remembrance Commemoration
For the first time since 2019, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the national commemoration will take place at the US Capitol—on Thursday, April 20, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. ET. As we lead the nation in remembering the six million Jews who were murdered, honoring the survivors, paying tribute to the rescuers, and celebrating the liberators, we are reminded of the power of their history to inspire people everywhere to confront antisemitism, all forms of group-targeted hate, and genocide.
2022 Days of Remembrance Commemoration
The event featured survivors telling their stories, and victims’ accounts presented through photographs and historical film footage from the Museum’s collection, with introductory reflections from Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat, chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council.
2021 Days of Remembrance Commemoration
The commemoration featured remarks from US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, who has spoken of the importance of Holocaust remembrance and the personal impact of his family’s experience.
2020 Days of Remembrance Commemoration
This digital event featured Holocaust survivors’ tributes to family members they lost, a stirring message from Benjamin Ferencz (the last living Nuremberg prosecutor), and timeless words from the late Elie Wiesel. The program closed with an opportunity for each one of us to make a personal pledge to safeguard the survivors’ legacy.
Elie Wiesel Award and National Tribute Dinner
The Elie Wiesel Award recognizes internationally prominent individuals whose actions have advanced the Museum’s vision of a world where people confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. The Museum presents the award at the annual National Tribute Dinner in the spring in Washington, DC.
2020 National Tribute Gathering
The 30-minute gathering featured Museum Director Sara Bloomfield and Maziar Bahari, the 2020 Elie Wiesel Award recipient. An Iranian exile who was later imprisioned by the regime, Bahari has demonstrated exceptional courage in bringing the truth of the Holocaust to Iran and throughout the Middle East. He has been a powerful voice against antisemitism and a fierce advocate for securing the dignity and freedom of all people. The program closed with Holocaust survivors’ messages for the future.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
The UN General Assembly designated January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this annual day of commemoration, the UN urges every member state to honor the victims of the Nazi era and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides. Learn more.
This Section
Listen to or read Holocaust survivors’ experiences, told in their own words through oral histories, written testimony, and public programs.