Memorial Ceremony Holds Tribute to 2635 on Yom HaShoah in Düsseldorf
In Düsseldorf, Germany, a poignant commemoration was held on April 24, 2021, marking Yom HaShoah, Israel's national day of remembrance for the Holocaust victims. The event, led by the Jewish Community of Düsseldorf and the Memorial and Remembrance Site, took place in the Beatrice-Strauss-Zentrum.
Dr. Stephan Keller, the Mayor of Düsseldorf, delivered a heartfelt greeting during the commemoration. He emphasised the importance of setting a sign of solidarity with Jewish friends and stressed that freedom of opinion and diversity of opinions must never be a license for hate, incitement, and anti-Semitism.
During the commemoration, the names of 2,635 people from Düsseldorf who were victims of the Holocaust were read out. Among them were Siegfried Klein, Stella Sondermann, Max Lilienfeld, and Klara Wahrenberg. Dr. Stephan Keller himself read out some of these names, underscoring the gravity of each individual loss.
The motto of the commemoration was "The name of every person," a poignant reminder of the human cost of the Holocaust. Students, politicians, and citizens took turns to read out the individual names, honouring the memory of those who perished.
While search results do not provide specific information about the exact number of Holocaust victims from Düsseldorf remembered during Yom HaShoah in 2021, it is documented that 2,635 names were read out during the commemoration in Düsseldorf. However, additional dedicated local or municipal records from Düsseldorf’s Holocaust memorial activities would be required for an exact number.
Dr. Stephan Keller referred to the Holocaust as a mass murder and a heinous crime against humanity by the Nazi regime. His speech focused on the remembrance of more than six million victims of the Shoah, emphasising the responsibility to remember and honour each life lost.
The number of names read out continues to grow due to the research of the Memorial and Remembrance Site, a testament to the ongoing efforts to remember and honour the victims of the Holocaust. Dr. Oded Horowitz, Chairman of the Jewish Community of Düsseldorf, was also in attendance at the memorial event.
The commemoration in Düsseldorf served as a powerful reminder of the importance of remembering the victims of the Holocaust and standing against hate and anti-Semitism. The names of the victims were read out with dignity and respect, ensuring that their memory lives on.
- Dr. Stephan Keller, the Mayor of Düsseldorf, expressed his support for Jewish communities by stressing that freedom of opinion should never be a license for hate, incitement, and anti-Semitism, during a sports-free discussion about the Holocaust.
- In addition to the poignant remembrance of Holocaust victims, the commemoration in Düsseldorf also emphasized the importance of ongoing research into their lives, similar to the dedication shown by sports historians in preserving records and achievements of athletes.
