Ceremonies marking the 65 anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau kicked off this morning with a conference, “Memory, Awareness, Education”.
The debates are being attended by national education ministers from all over the world.
Deputy director of the Auschwitz Museum Krystyna Oleksy is confident the discussions will create the basis for an education model of preserving the memory about the annihilation of innocent people and acquainting successive young generations with this wartime tragedy.
“I would expect the ministers to stress the importance of this education as an obligation towards former inmates to continue their task,” the minister told Polskie Radio. “After all, this museum has been founded thanks to the initiative of former prisoners who say: don’t forget and teach others about this.”
The conference is to adopt a special address to the nations on the issue which is to be read out during the main anniversary ceremonies at the site of the former Nazi German death camp.
Auschwitz-Birkenau, which became a symbol of the Holocaust, was liberated by advancing Soviet Red Army units on January 27th 1945. (ss)