Remembering and Honoring the Past

At 170 years old, B’nai B’rith is a reliable voice on continuity. We recognize and respect the link we can provide on so many issues vital to the Jewish community.

In commemoration of the United Nations' Holocaust Remembrance Day in January, B’nai B’rith International held a discussion titled “60 Years of Material Restitution: History and Challenges,” in New York City. One of the leading experts in the field of material restitution, Arie Bucheister, chief of staff at the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, explained the daunting challenges facing survivors and their heirs to have property returned or material compensation made to them.

This program preceded the official U.N. Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony, which B’nai B’rith representatives also attended. Ever since 2005, when B’nai B’rith played an active role in the United Nations’ adoption of Holocaust Remembrance Day, there has been a significant organizational involvement in the program.

We also commemorated the Holocaust with our annual program “Unto Every Person There is a Name,” now in its 24th year. B’nai B’rith is the official North American sponsor of the program under the auspices of Yad Vashem, Israel’s official Holocaust museum and research center in Jerusalem. Participants read the names of the victims of the Shoah. This year’s Yom HaShoah theme was “Defiance and Rebellion During the Holocaust: 70 Years Since the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.” B’nai B’rith provided lists of names and other assistance to local programs.

The natural and progressive dwindling of the population of Holocaust survivors makes it imperative to educate today’s youth about the horrors of the Holocaust.

To help ensure that education, B’nai B’rith partners with the Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) fraternity for the “We Walk to Remember” program. On 110 college campuses throughout the United States, Canada, Israel and the United Kingdom members of AEPi participated in both the walk and “Unto Every Person There is a Name” programming.

This is the fifth year B’nai B’rith and AEPi have worked together on Holocaust Remembrance Day programming. The combination of the two powerful programs has created a lasting impact on campuses across the globe. It demonstrates that young people on college campuses understand the importance of remembering and have taken on the responsibility to tell the story of the victims of the Holocaust. B’nai B’rith provides the materials created by the international committee as well as “Never Forget” stickers that the walkers wear on black t-shirts.