On Holocaust Remembrance Day, remember the past, change the future | Opinion

Tuesday, Jan. 27, is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. It is a day meant for reflection, mourning and remembrance.

Yet for the Jewish community around the world, this day now carries an added and painful weight as we witness a rapid and alarming rise in antisemitism, an unfortunate daily reminder of the power of hate.

Over the past year alone, we have seen devastating acts of hatred: the mass shooting at Bondi Beach, the arson of Beth Israel in Mississippi, and the attack in Boulder, Colorado, that resulted in the murder of a Holocaust survivor. These are only the incidents that made national headlines. Countless others, acts of harassment, threats and violence, have gone largely unnoticed by the broader public.

This raises a difficult but necessary question: How can we, as a country, claim to honor the Holocaust while allowing antisemitism to become increasingly acceptable in the mainstream? What are we doing, or failing to do, that allows this behavior to persist?

Eighty-one years ago, the world learned the devastating consequences of normalizing antisemitism. Yet today, we are repeating those same mistakes. We are once again allowing hatred to fester, allowing Jewish children and adults to be harassed and assaulted in the streets here in America, a nation founded on the promise of religious freedom.

One place we must start is education. Holocaust education must be taught responsibly and accurately. When this history is minimized, distorted, or taught without care, it does real harm. We also must be willing to speak up. Antisemitism cannot be ignored, excused or quietly tolerated. It must be called out every time it appears, so it is clear that hatred has no place in our society.

To honor International Holocaust Remembrance Day this year, the Council for Holocaust Awareness of Idaho is sponsoring a screening of “Among Neighbors,” a film that honors the true history of the Holocaust and confronts the difficult realities faced by survivors after liberation. The screening will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 27, at Overland Park Cinema, 7051 W. Overland Road, Boise.

Remembering the past is not enough. We must also commit to changing the future.

Kali Cusimano is the executive director and co-founder of the Council for Holocaust Awareness of Idaho.