HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY 2009

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INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY 

In 2006, the United Nations General Assembly designated January 27 as an annual international day of commemoration to honor the victims of the Nazi era. This date marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp. Every member nation of the U.N. has an obligation to honor the memory of Holocaust victims and develop educational programs as part of the resolve to help prevent future acts of genocide. The U.N. resolution rejects denial of the Holocaust, and condemns discrimination and violence based on religion or ethnicity. 

To commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. hosts a candle-lighting ceremony attended by the Washington, D.C. diplomatic community, Holocaust survivors, and the general public.