Holocaust Memorial Day is when the world remembers the 6 million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered under Nazi persecution.

It takes place 27 January each year, which marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.

The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) 2026, 'Bridging Generations', is a call-to-action. A reminder that the responsibility of remembrance does not end with the survivors, it lives on through their children, their grandchildren and through all of us.

This theme encourages people to engage actively with the past - to listen, to learn.

As the years pass, we grow more distant in time from the Holocaust and from the other, more recent genocides that are commemorated on HMD.

Bridging Generations highlights the crucial role of the next generation in preserving the memory of the Holocaust and carrying it forward. It highlights the power of intergenerational dialogue – of listening to those who came before us and of sharing those stories with those who come after. In doing so, we don’t just preserve memory – we connect it to the present.

Find out more about Holocaust Memorial Day

Article published: 21 January 2026