An image of Faye Tzippy Holand, an 83-year-old Holocaust survivor, projected on Brooklyn Bridge, Jan. 27, 2024, New York City. (Eugene Gologursky)

By Julia Gergely January 27, 2024

(New York Jewish Week) — New York City municipal buildings will be illuminated in yellow on Saturday in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. 

Six buildings in all five boroughs will be lit up to mark the day: City Hall in Manhattan, Bronx Borough Hall, Brooklyn Borough Hall, the David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building, Queens Borough Hall and Staten Island Borough Hall. 

“As mayor of the largest Jewish community in the world outside of Israel, today I am haunted by the thought of how much larger our incredible Jewish family would be if it weren’t for the atrocities of the Holocaust,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a press release.

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The mayor’s office is lighting City Hall and other government buildings in partnership with World Jewish Congress’ “#WeRemember” social media campaign, which is “dedicated to keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive” and “to remind the world of what can happen when hatred is allowed to thrive unchecked.”

“This meaningful gesture is a beacon of hope and a powerful reminder of the lessons we must carry forward,”  Ronald Lauder, the president of the World Jewish Congress, said in a press release about Adams’ effort. “We are grateful to the leaders of the City of New York for their continued dedication to remembering the past and educating future generations, reinforcing our collective resolve to combat antisemitism and all forms of hatred.”

International Holocaust Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau on Jan. 27, 1945. The day was designated by a United Nations General Assembly resolution in 2005. In the last two decades, its mission to spread Holocaust awareness and stop anti-semitism has grown significantly in scope. 

While the day is marked by the global community and draws attention from many non-Jewish audiences, Jewish communities mark the Holocaust on Yom HaShoah, which typically falls in late April.

In addition to the municipal buildings, the Empire State Building will also be lit yellow to mark the day in partnership with Voices for Truth and Humanity, a nonprofit organization that promotes Holocaust education in public schools throughout the country.

In previous years, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office has illuminated various landmarks across the state yellow in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, including local One World Trade Center, Moynihan Train Hall and the Kosciuszko Bridge. Messages left for her office about their plans for this year were not answered as of press time. 

Mayor Adams acknowledged the gravity of the moment for the Jewish community since the attacks on Oct. 7, which saw the most Jews murdered in one day since the Holocaust.

“October 7, 2023, was a reminder that hate is not a part of a distant past we remember but an ugly reality we must confront,” Adams said in a press release. “Our Jewish brothers and sisters should take comfort in knowing New York City will ‘Never Forget’ and will always be a haven for the Jewish people. May this light be a small symbol of our solidarity and send beams of hope for the future throughout our city.”

This article originally appeared on JTA.org.

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