On Thursday, January 23, the New York City Council passed Resolution 0713-2025, co-prime sponsored by Council Members Eric Dinowitz and Keith Powers, recognizing January 27, 2025, as the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest of the Nazi death camps, and commemorating January 27 annually as Auschwitz Remembrance Day in New York City to honor the memories of the over one million Jews and tens of thousands of others who were brutally murdered there at the hands of the Nazis during World War II.

“As Chair of the New York City Council’s Jewish Caucus, I have made it a key priority to elevate the very real challenges that Jewish New Yorkers are facing with the uptick of hate crimes against the Jewish community,” said Council Member Eric Dinowitz. “As we approach this solemn day, we are reminded that with each day that goes by, we are losing another voice of a Holocaust survivor who can remind us of the evil that can come when anti-Semitism is left unabated in our public sphere. With this resolution, all New Yorkers can know that this City Council will Never Forget.”

“Eighty years after the liberation of Auschwitz, the people who witnessed the horrors there are now sadly far too few,” said Council Member Keith Powers. “It is our responsibility to carry the history of what happened 80 years ago, to tell the stories of those who were brutally murdered and tortured at Auschwitz, so that future generations never forget the appalling crimes that took place, and never allow anything like them to happen again.”

“The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York stands in strong support of the City Council Resolution to designate January 27, 2025, the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and commemorate January 27 as Auschwitz Remembrance Day in New York City. This pivotal moment in history serves as an urgent reminder that remembrance and resilience are integral to our continued fight against anti-Semitism and hatred in all its forms. By honoring the memories of the one million Jews and thousands of other people murdered at Auschwitz, we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that such atrocities are never repeated.

“As a grandson of Holocaust survivors and World War II veterans, I want to thank Council Member Eric Dinowitz, Chair of the Jewish Caucus, and NYC Council Member Keith Powers for introducing this important and timely Resolution,” said Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.”

“On the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz, the Simon Wiesenthal Center thanks the New York City Council for its tireless efforts in preserving the memory of the Holocaust and promoting the vital lessons of tolerance, ensuring that future generations never forget. This is a day to reaffirm that the memory of the victims shall never be forgotten, and that hate be combated in all of its forms,” said Michael Cohen, Eastern Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.