Millions of Jews and other people were forced to leave their homes during the Holocaust. Many were sent to places called concentration camps. They slept on hard bunks or floors. They could rarely bathe and had little food. Diseases spread, and a lot of people died. Auschwitz was the largest of these camps. And it was liberated 75 years ago.

Auschwitz is in Poland. Germany’s Nazi leaders ran the camp. The Nazis wanted to get rid of people that seemed different from them. Those included followers of the Jewish religion. Now, leaders from all countries and all religions have been coming together. These people have different backgrounds. But they are joining to remember the lessons of the Holocaust.

One event happened at Auschwitz. The camp was liberated on January 27, 1945. Today, many of the buildings still stand. On Thursday, more than 60 Muslims took a tour of the site. Members of an American Jewish group were there too. The event included many leaders from the religion of Islam. They came from all over the world. The Muslims prayed at Auschwitz.

Christian leaders came together too. At a cathedral in York, England, workers lit 600 candles. The flames made the shape of the Star of David, a symbol of the Jewish faith. (That’s on the cover.)

Heads of government also marked the anniversary. On Thursday, world leaders met in Jerusalem, Israel. They remembered the Holocaust and talked about how to fight against anti-Semitism. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was there. So were French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, and Britain’s Prince Charles.

Reuven Rivlin is Israel’s president. He spoke at the big meeting. “I hope the message will go out to every country on Earth,” he said, “that the leaders of the world will stand united against racism and anti-Semitism.”

“This is the call of our time,” the president added. “This is our challenge.”


Updated January 24, 2020, 5:02 P.M. (ET)
By Ashley Morgan