For us in Australia it’s a pity that International Holocaust Remembrance Day falls on 27 January. Just after Australia Day – a challenging marker for our First Nation’s people. Most Australians enjoy a welcome break from work and politics, especially this year given the enormous challenge of 2020 due to the global pandemic.
The day, 27 January, marks the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, where more than a million people were murdered by the Nazis. Not something to be ignored.
For many Australian families the Holocaust is a shared memory of horror and grief. That is as true for the Greek-Australian community as it is for other Australians. Nearly 60,000 Greek Jews died at Auschwitz, and many more in other places. Some of their descendants and relatives are living here in Australia with us today.