Finland should change name of their Holocaust Remembrance Day

On January 27th, most western countries mark the liberation of the concentration camps as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On that very day in 1945, the Allied Forces entered the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp near Krakow, Poland, which started a domino effect that exposed the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis throughout Europe.

In 1995, The European Commission recommended that all its member states mark January 27th as Holocaust Remembrance Day. Ten years later, in 2005, the United Nations General Assembly designated January 27th as the international commemoration day in memory of the Holocaust victims. 

The Government of Finland adopted Remembrance Day in 2002. Unfortunately, they translated it in Finnish as “Remembrance Day for the Victims of Persecutions.” 

It seems Finland is the only European country whose official name for the international Remembrance Day fails to refer to the Holocaust. However, and as a notable discrepancy, the government uses the name “Holocaust Remembrance Day” in its communication in English.

For years, the Finnish Holocaust Remembrance Association has tried to lobby Finnish authorities to change the name, albeit in vain. The argument has been that, under the existing name, people will forget the Holocaust and be able to hijack the day to mark any persecution, big or small.

Unfortunately, those fears came true a few weeks ago, when the city council of Rauma, a small city on the west coast of Finland, decided to fly the city flag on January 27th in remembrance of persecuted minority groups, such as the LGBTQ community, Sinti and Sami. In the original proposal, and in the minutes of the city council meeting on December 13th, 2021, there is no reference to Jews or the Holocaust at all. For the Jewish community and for those who care about their sufferings, this is no less than an insult and a mockery.

Hopefully, high priority will be given to resolve the name issue in order to reflect the spirit of the pledges given by the Finnish delegation at the Malmö International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism in October 2021. 

By ensuring Holocaust Remembrance Day specifically references the Holocaust, we are making sure that these atrocities are never forgotten. This is an important message, not only for the Finnish government, but also for other countries around the world, especially at a time with fewer survivors left to offer firsthand testimony. It is on us, the next generations, to keep their legacy alive and to make sure that the world remembers, so that the horrors of the Holocaust will never be repeated. 

The writer is Chairman of the Federation of Finland-Israel Associations and Vice-Chair of the Finnish Holocaust Remembrance Association. Mr. Huvila is also the author of the book “The Miracle of Israel and President Truman." This op-ed is published in partnership with a coalition of organizations that fight antisemitism across the world.

This op-ed is published in partnership with a coalition of organizations that fight antisemitism across the world. Read the previous article by Dan Diker.