2026 National Days of Remembrance Commemoration
0:00 / 1:34:05
•
2026 National Days of Remembrance Commemoration
2,938 views Streamed 2 days ago
On April 14, 2026, during the annual Days of Remembrance, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum led the national commemoration of the six million Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution. Broadcast live from the US Capitol, the ceremony featured remarks from Holocaust survivors, members of Congress, and other dignitaries. The 3d US Infantry Regiment (“The Old Guard”) presented the colors and the flags of World War II liberating divisions, and the US Army Band performed. In addition to a memorial candle-lighting, attendees paid tribute to the victims. Congress created the Museum as a permanent living memorial to the victims of the Holocaust and established annual Days of Remembrance to be held each spring. This year’s observance was especially important, given the continuing surge in violent antisemitism and increased Holocaust denial and distortion. We also marked America’s 250th birthday in 2026 by honoring Americans who rescued European Jews, US soldiers who defeated Nazi Germany during World War II, and Holocaust survivors who cherished the freedom they experienced after immigrating to the United States.
What was it like to arrive in America after surviving the Holocaust? What opportunities did it provide? When did it start to feel like home? In this series, Holocaust survivors reflect on their lives in America and share their deep appreciation for its freedoms, democracy, and founding principles. #America250
What do we save from our past? Is it the teddy bear that comforted you when you were little? The necklace your grandma gently placed around your neck? The item that reminds you of your bravest moment? Each episode of these animated videos brings to life an artifact from the Museum’s collection and the story of the person behind it. The series reveals the impossible choices ordinary people faced during the Holocaust and inspires us to reflect on their actions of strength and courage.
Echoes of Memory provides survivors who volunteer at the Museum with a powerful outlet to share their experiences and memories—through their own writing. The Museum conducts guided writing workshops to strengthen the writers’ abilities to recount their experiences for the historical record. In these videos, survivors who have taken part in the workshop read their own essays. This is one more way that the Museum helps survivors—eyewitnesses to the Holocaust—to help new generations gain insight and understanding of Holocaust history from a deeply personal perspective. This program, originally inspired by the Leave-A-Legacy Writing Workshops developed by the Drew University Center for Holocaust/Genocide Study, has been facilitated since 2001 by Dr. Margaret Peterson. The writer’s workshop model she has employed prioritizes the voice and authority of each writer and allows the participants to support each other in telling his or her own story of survival.
Each artifact in our collection has a story to tell. The monthly series, Artifacts Unpacked, takes you behind-the-scenes to learn about the objects the Museum protects and how they keep alive the memory and experiences of victims and witnesses of the Holocaust.
These short educational explainer videos explore key topics and themes of Holocaust history.
Today’s teens and young adults need the lessons of Holocaust history to guard against the harmful effects of antisemitic messages and misinformation. The Museum is rising to the challenges of today’s world and reaching young people with educational content like the videos you see here.
An athlete's defiance in the face of Nazi oppression. A soldier's courage through captivity. A friendship across continents. The rescue of 50 children. A professor's plea for help. Each of the videos in this series tells a story that stands as testimony and lasts beyond a single lifetime. Each story is based on authentic letters and diaries that document firsthand accounts of the Holocaust, so that their truths shall never be forgotten. Behind every name is a story.

Gretel: An Olympian’s Dream

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
60K views4 years ago
CC

Tony: A Soldier’s Journey

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
56K views4 years ago
CC

Eleanor & Gilbert: A Couple’s Mission

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
64K views4 years ago
CC

Marianne & Jane: A Pen Pal’s Story

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
87K views4 years ago
CC

Franz: A Professor’s Plea

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
60K views4 years ago
CC
The Monna and Otto Weinmann Eyewitness to History video series enables audiences everywhere to hear firsthand testimony from Holocaust survivors. Schools, civic groups, military bases, and other institutions can use these videos to incorporate survivor voices into their Holocaust remembrance events as well as other learning opportunities.
These films provide some foundational information about how and why the Holocaust happened. The US Holocaust Memorial Museum is making them available as a playlist for students, teachers, and members of the public who are unable to visit during the Covid-19 crisis. The Holocaust was the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by Germany’s Nazi regime, its allies, and their countless collaborators in countries across Europe.