Days of Remembrance

With the Days of Remembrance , the United States commemorates the Holocaust .

In 1978, the US Congress passed a bill introduced by Senator John Danforth that declared April 28 and 29, 1979, Holocaust Remembrance Day. The date relates to the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp on April 29, 1945. Danforth chose a day of US significance to make the celebrations in public spaces as well as in synagogues and churches accessible at the same time.

A year later, the US Holocaust Memorial Commission appointed by Jimmy Carter recommended that these days be celebrated annually, which led to the unanimous resolution of Congress in 1980 to establish a United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and extend the duration of the celebrations to one week. The celebrations are funded by the United States Holocaust Memorial Council , which presides over the museum.

The date of the Days of Remembrance is not fixed, but is based on the Israeli memorial day Yom HaScho'a . This is on Nisan 27th , the seventh month of the Jewish calendar - according to the Gregorian calendar, for example, April 25th in 2006, April 15th in 2007 and May 2nd in 2008. The Days of Remembrance starts on the Sunday before this date and ends on the following Sunday.

See also

• German Day of Remembrance for the Victims of National Socialism (January 27; since 1996)
• Austrian day of remembrance against violence and racism in memory of the victims of National Socialism (May 5th; since 1997, first celebrated in 1998)
• List of memorial days and days of action

Web links

• "Remembrance and Beyond" - The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Program (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish)
• Data for 2009 to 2018 (English)