Survivors of the Auschwitz-Birkenau gather on Friday to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the liberation of the camp, marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
On this annual day of commemoration, the United Nations urges every member state to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism. Survivors during World War II.
San Diego County is home to about 400 Holocaust survivors, according to the Jewish Federation of San Diego. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted on Tuesday to create a Holocaust remembrance exhibit on county property.
According to Supervisor Nathan Fletcher’s proposal, San Diego County has no museum dedicated to the Holocaust. "There are lessons we must reaffirm and hold close to our hearts because there is a real danger," Fletcher said.
The proposal comes as hate crimes in the past two years against the Jewish community in San Diego have been on the rise. The Jewish community in San Diego experienced 38 recorded incidents of antisemitism in 2021, including 14 cases of vandalism, 23 incidents of harassment, and one assault, according to a 2021 report from the Anti-Defamation League.
During Tuesday's supervisor's meeting, those in favor said a memorial was especially important in light of recent hate attacks.
“Education is the cure for antisemitism, racism, and hate," said Sandra Scheller, who curated the "RUTH: Remember Us The Holocaust" exhibit at the Chula Vista Civic Center Library.
Michael Hopkins, CEO of Jewish Family Services, said his organization "compassionately cares for Holocaust survivors," who lived through one of the darkest periods in human history.
He added that "lessons of recent years have taught us that it's not enough to react — if we are not proactive against these forces that hurt and harm, they will continue to injure and even become deadly.
The county will give the Jewish Federation $25,000 to develop a year-long exhibit expected to open on April 17.
