Today is Holocaust Memorial Day, a time to remember and mourn the millions of people murdered during the Holocaust under Nazi persecution and later in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
The Holocaust widely refers to the mass murder of Jewish people (and other minorities) in Germany and Nazi-occupied parts of Europe before and during the Second World War. By 1945, six million Jewish men, women and children had been murdered in ghettos, mass shootings, and in concentration camps and extermination camps.
With a rise in antisemitism over the past few years, it has never been more important to understand antisemitism and arm yourself as best as possible to be an ally to Jewish people.
Now is not the time to shrink away from the conversation. Now is not the time to shift the narratives around ourselves or to focus on our own feelings of discomfort. Now is not the time to post a performative social media post with no intention to follow through. Now is the time for all Jewish allies to listen, change and learn.
Progressing our own authentic allyship means conducting our own research and reading, but as a starting point, these are some helpful educational resources on antisemitism and the Jewish experience.