Special memorial event organized at Western University to mark Holocaust Day

The enemy wanted to be the one who speaks, and I felt, I still feel, we must see to it that the victim should be the one who speaks and is heard. Silence never helps the victim. [So,] to remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all. Perhaps this is what we must learn: to collect tears and turn them into stories, into gestures of solidarity and compassion.

                                                                                   (Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor)

The United Nations Department for Public Information in Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Youth and Sport in partnership with Western University organized a special memorial event on 28 January 2008 to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.

Bringing together around eighty participants - including high-ranking government representatives, Ambassadors and senior officials of diplomatic corps and UN agencies, leaders of youth organizations, students from different educational institutions - this event was designed to raise awareness among today’s youth about the lesson’s of the Holocaust so that future generations may carry forward the torch of remembrance and remind the world of the danger posed by hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice.

The launch of the ‘To Bear Witness’ photo exhibit was also a key part of this ceremony, which was held in the English and Azerbaijani languages.

Ms. Zenfira Mamedova, Acting Rector of Western University, opened the special memorial event, welcomed participants and thanked everyone for coming to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.

In concluding her brief opening remarks Ms. Mamedova expressed her hope that events such as this help to provided momentum in increasing the awareness among youth of Azerbaijan regarding the challenge of accepting their social responsibility to strengthen and promote mutual respect, tolerance and a commitment to peaceful coexistence.

Ms. Envera Selimovic, UN DPI Representative in Azerbaijan drew attention to the fact that this year’s observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust coincides with the sixtieth anniversary year of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Further underlining this event’s importance, she noted that “the aim of Holocaust Memorial Day is to motivate people individually and collectively, to remember the past; reflect on the present and react to create a better future”.

She called on youth to make human rights a reality in each and every country and then invited everyone to watch the Secretary-General’s video message together.

The next speaker, Israeli Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Arthur Lenk, stated in his presentation that he is “proud of the United Nations which three years ago took on the responsibility to speak loud and clear on the importance of preserving the memory and lessons of this horrific chapter in the history of humanity.

He also stated that he was exceedingly proud of Western University and the Government of Azerbaijan for taking the event as an opportunity to speak out, “in a neighbourhood where other deny history or twist it in a dangerous and hateful way”.

Subsequently, he briefed the audience on the history of Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes Remembrance Authority established in 1953 by an Act of the Israeli Knesset, the main task of which is to perpetuate the legacy of the Holocaust to future generations so that the world never forgets its horrors.

Mr. Intigam Babayev, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sport of the Republic of Azerbaijan shared with the audience his view regarding the importance of the observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust and highlighted the value of going beyond remembrance to ensure that new generations know this history.  

Touching upon the fact that Azerbaijan itself has also witnessed such a crime known as the Khojaly massacre, where hundreds of ethnic Azerbaijani civilians were killed by ethnic Armenian forces during the war over Nagorno-Karabakh in February 1992, Mr. Babayev strongly urged that the Holocaust and other crimes against humanity should be remembered to remind us of our collective responsibility to never let it happen again.

In his remarks, Mr. Khazar Ibrahim, Head of the Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan spoke about the multiethnic composition of the population of Azerbaijan, where representatives of different minorities including Jews have come together to settle the same soil for centuries, always interacting with a commitment to tolerance and mutual respect.

Drawing attention to the fact that the Holocaust was one of the most horrific events of the 20th century, Mr. Khazar Ibrahim also added that the international community has not been able to stop new horrors in the years since its perpetration.

He concluded with the suggestion of uniting efforts to prevent similar reoccurrences through learning to cooperate, and working together for mutual protection and development.

Mr. Nizami Jafarov, Head of the Permanent Parliamentary Commission on Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, emphasized the importance in standing in solidarity with Holocaust survivors and victim’s families on the International Day in memory of the victims of the Holocaust as “this is our duty both as human beings and a nation”.

He said that the Azerbaijani nation, which has experienced tragedies like Khojaly, understands very well that such crimes against humanity cannot be repeated again and as such “we have to remember the lessons of the past so that we do not make the same mistakes in the future”.

The last speaker, Mr. Fikret Sadikhov, Honorary Professor of Western University, spoke about the lessons of the Holocaust and noted that the tragedies of Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur show that the international community, and each of us as citizens, has not truly understood these lessons yet.

Referring to the students as future professionals in many different areas, called on them to carry forward the lessons of the Holocaust, not only as a defining tragedy, but as a warning to rededicate ourselves to doing all we can to ensure that such a thing never happen again.

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Different promotional materials such as “Basic facts about the United Nations”, “UN in brief”, “Charter of the UN and Statue of the International Court of Justice”, “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, the English, Russian and Azerbaijani versions of the brochure “A Stronger United Nations for a Better World. My Priorities as United Nations Secretary General” and other printed materials about the UN were distributed to the participants during this special memorial event.

This event attracted the media representatives and national TV and radio broadcasting stations; several interviews were also translated on different TV stations. In terms of media coverage, more than 10 outlets covered the event.

/Today.Az/