Today marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Survivors, many in their 80s and 90s, gathered to commemorate this historical date. Records estimate that more than 1 million people, most of them Jews, were killed between 1940 and 1945, when Soviet troops liberated the camp.

The recent events in France and in Tel Aviv have created a global consciousness that racism, anti-Semitism and hatred are never gone. The problem is, sometimes we forget. These events, along with the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, remind us that people are still fighting for freedoms – whether it is freedom of speech, religion, ethnicity or any number of other liberties that the Jews and minority groups were stripped of during the Holocaust.

Here in South Florida, a geographic area with the second-highest number of Holocaust survivors in the United States, the Holocaust Documentation and Education Center strives to remind people of the dangers of hate every day. The survivors who volunteer at the Center describe to visitors daily of the struggles they faced – and continue to face even today.

One of the HDEC’s missions is to teach those from all walks of life the universal lessons of the Holocaust through thought-providing exhibitions and programs. From Student Awareness Days that unite survivors with students to the exhibits of photos, videos, letters and other documents that have survived, we make an effort to so “never again” really means NEVER AGAIN.

We cannot tolerate hatred and we cannot be detached. Whether it’s the Charlie Hebdo tragedy or 9/11 or a war designed to exterminate an entire race, we must always remember – and learn – from history.

The Center was featured by local media outlets on the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. See the coverage here:

WPLG Local 10
WSVN-TV
Sun Sentinel