--- title: How We Must Continue to Fight Antisemitism description: "The Holocaust revealed the fatal consequences of antisemitism, yet the hatred didn't end in 1945," write Irwin Cotler and Jay Rosenzweig. canonical: https://time.com/7210025/80-years-after-auschwitz-liberation-fight-against-antisemitism/ author: Irwin Cotler article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-01-26T12:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T07:49:52.905Z article:section: Ideas og:title: We Must Fight Antisemitism 80 Years After the Liberation of Auschwitz og:description: "The Holocaust revealed the deadly consequences of antisemitism, yet this hatred did not end in 1945." og:url: https://time.com/7210025/80-years-after-auschwitz-liberation-fight-against-antisemitism/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7822a85bbf311d1a/6998b2c525f3eed5d064266a/GettyImages-2194560839.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4879 og:image:height: 2744 og:image:alt: Auschwitz-Birkenau Ahead Of The 80th Liberation Anniversary og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: We Must Fight Antisemitism 80 Years After the Liberation of Auschwitz twitter:description: "The Holocaust revealed the deadly consequences of antisemitism, yet this hatred did not end in 1945." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7822a85bbf311d1a/6998b2c525f3eed5d064266a/GettyImages-2194560839.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How We Must Continue to Fight Antisemitism 80 Years After the Liberation of Auschwitz > Sponsored content. 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A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=d95defeb-d49b-44d9-9f2b-dc972d0bd00c&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Holocaust Survivor Recalls Horrors of Auschwitz [Watch (HLS stream): Holocaust Survivor Recalls Horrors of Auschwitz](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/yUX4rSQY.m3u8) (5:24)  _Published 2025-01-27. The 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet troops is being marked at the site of the former death camp, a ceremony that is widely being treated as the last major observance that any notable number of survivors will be able to attend. Among those who traveled to the site is 86-year-old Tova Friedman, who was 6 when she was among the 7,000 people liberated on Jan. 27, 1945._ by [Irwin Cotler](https://time.com/author/irwin-cotler/) and [Jay Rosenzweig](https://time.com/author/jay-rosenzweig/) Irwin Cotler is a former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and founder of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. Jan 26, 2025 12:00 PM UTC The 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet troops is being marked at the site of the former death camp, a ceremony that is widely being treated as the last major observance that any notable number of survivors will be able to attend. Among those who traveled to the site is 86-year-old Tova Friedman, who was 6 when she was among the 7,000 people liberated on Jan. 27, 1945. by [Irwin Cotler](https://time.com/author/irwin-cotler/) and [Jay Rosenzweig](https://time.com/author/jay-rosenzweig/) Irwin Cotler is a former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and founder of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. Jan 26, 2025 12:00 PM UTC Monday, Jan. 27, marks 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Ten days prior to the opening of the gates, Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat who saved tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews, was detained. He disappeared and his fate remains unknown. These events highlight humanity’s capacity for both profound cruelty and remarkable courage. The [Holocaust](https://time.com/7174919/gidon-lev-holocaust-story-essay/) revealed the deadly consequences of antisemitism, yet this hatred did not end in 1945\. Antisemitism remains a stark indicator of societal decay. History shows that while it starts with Jews, it rarely ends there. In the present day, two critical questions remain. What have we learned and what are we doing to prevent such atrocities from happening again? The world vowed to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust and to learn from this dark chapter. The promise of “[Never Again](https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/Genocide%20Convention-FactSheet-ENG.pdf)” was enshrined in the Genocide Convention. Yet, genocides and atrocities have continued in Cambodia, Rwanda, Sudan, and Ukraine. These tragedies remind us that remembrance alone is not enough. We must act. On Oct. 7, 2023, [Hamas launched a brutal attack](https://time.com/6321849/israel-attack/) on Israel, killing over 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages. In its aftermath, [global antisemitism surged](https://time.com/6763293/antisemitism/). Synagogues, schools, Jewish community centers, and businesses became targets. Individuals were attacked simply for being Jewish. Social media has amplified this hatred, aiding the spread of dangerous lies and prompting animus against Jews and Israel. The Internet has been rife with misinformation and conspiracy theories. Algorithms designed to prioritize engagement have amplified harmful narratives, creating echo chambers where hate thrives. Accountability is critical—social media platforms must address their role in spreading dangerous misinformation. Implementing the IHRA’s (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) [definition of antisemitism](https://holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definition-antisemitism) across governments, institutions, and corporations is essential. It provides clear guidelines for identifying and combating antisemitism, ensuring hate speech and discrimination are unequivocally condemned. While democratic debate over Israel’s policies is legitimate, it should not devolve into hate or incitement to genocide. Recent happenings across the globe—from [Australia](https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/antisemitic-attacks-escalate-australia-2025-01-21/) to [Canada](https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadas-trudeau-condemns-violent-protests-nato-meets-montreal-2024-11-23/)—have reported concerning incidents including [swastika vandalism](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jan/13/counter-terrorism-police-take-up-investigation-of-swastika-attack-at-sydney-synagogue) being spray-painted on a synagogue. This is not political discourse. It is genocidal incitement and it must not be normalized.  Portraits of prisoners are seen at the former Nazi German concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau near Oswiecim, Poland, on Jan. 21, 2025. Jakub Porzycki—Getty Images Governments and international institutions need to take action, such as prosecuting hate crimes and ensuring that organizations like the International Court of Justice are not weaponized to vilify Israel while overlooking the genocidal rhetoric and intent of entities like Hamas and Iran. The Holocaust teaches us the danger of silence in the face of hate. Indifference allows bigotry to spread unchecked, often with devastating consequences. Governments, civil society, businesses, and individuals must speak out against antisemitism and protect the rights of all vulnerable people. Education is critical. Hatred is stoked by words and ideas, not violence alone. Teachings about the Holocaust are vital—not just for Jewish students, but as part of a global effort to build empathy and combat intolerance. Forming deeper alliances across communities is also essential. By standing together against extremism and fostering understanding through dialogue, we can create a stronger, united front against hate. The 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation is a time to reflect, but it should also serve as a call to action. The rise of antisemitism demands a decisive response. Drawing inspiration from Wallenberg’s unwavering commitment to human dignity, we are reminded that each of us has a role to play in stopping ongoing atrocities and preventing future ones. Let us honor his legacy by standing united against hate and building a future where human dignity prevails. ## Transcript [00:00] Two years of false. [00:16] Hope. Finally, we arrived at Auschwitz. [00:25] A gloomy Sunday with a sky obscured by smoke. [00:32] And a terrible stink hung in the air. [00:36] And there were rows and rows of naked women all around me. [00:43] What are they looking for? [00:46] I asked my mother, [00:50] as I too was naked, [00:54] and I tried to avoid the germ, [00:58] the gleam of the German Shepherds teeth and their eyes. [01:04] I was their height so I can see them completely, I can. [01:10] I can still see their eyes to this day. [01:14] My mother answered me. [01:16] Diseases. But if we are ill. She didn't have to finish. [01:25] She pointed to the smoke right by the entrance. [01:32] I knew at five and a half what that meant. [01:40] We all knew. [01:43] I recall thinking, I will never. [01:47] I will never let them know how much they are hurting me. [01:53] At five and a half, [01:56] I had the rebellion in me. [01:59] I will not show them. [02:01] I will not let them know the pain that inflicting on me on an icy, windy day. [02:09] I stood and watched helplessly as little girls from the nearby barrack were marched away, [02:18] crying and shivering to the gas chamber. [02:24] They were covered with rags, [02:27] and some of them didn't even have any shoes and were walking barefoot in the snow. [02:36] There were very young. [02:39] As I was 6 or 7. [02:43] But starvation shrunk their bodies, [02:48] and they appeared even younger. [02:53] They too became ashes. [02:58] I knew nothing about partisan saving Jews from ghettos and camps. [03:05] I knew nothing about the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, [03:11] nor of the allies and the D-Day. [03:14] Norway and the invasion of Normandy. [03:20] At that time, we were victims in a moral vacuum. [03:28] But today, however, we all we have [03:33] an obligation not only to remember which is very, [03:40] very important, but also to warn and to [03:46] teach that hatred only begets more hatred killing, more killing. [03:54] Instead, our revenge has been to build [03:59] a strong Jewish country and raise our families in peace. [04:06] 80 years after liberation, [04:09] the world is again in crisis. [04:13] Our Jewish Christian values have been overshadowed Shadowed worldwide by prejudice, fear, [04:23] suspicion and extremism, and [04:27] the rampant anti-Semitic Semitism that is spreading among the nations is shocking. [04:36] It's shocking to all of us, [04:38] to our children and our grandchildren. [04:44] Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, [04:49] is fighting for its very existence and its way of life. [04:57] We mourn not only the fallen soldiers and the hostages, [05:06] but also the turbulence and mistrust in our society. [05:14] We pray for strength, [05:17] resilience, and of course, hope. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7210025/80-years-after-auschwitz-liberation-fight-against-antisemitism/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7210025/80-years-after-auschwitz-liberation-fight-against-antisemitism/"},"headline":"How We Must Continue to Fight Antisemitism 80 Years After the Liberation of Auschwitz","datePublished":"2025-01-26T12:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-19T07:49:52.905Z","description":"\"The Holocaust revealed the deadly consequences of antisemitism, yet this hatred did not end in 1945,\" write Irwin Cotler and Jay Rosenzweig.","url":"https://time.com/7210025/80-years-after-auschwitz-liberation-fight-against-antisemitism/","keywords":["society","News desk edits"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7822a85bbf311d1a/6998b2c525f3eed5d064266a/GettyImages-2194560839.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Irwin Cotler","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/irwin-cotler/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Jay Rosenzweig","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jay-rosenzweig/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7822a85bbf311d1a/6998b2c525f3eed5d064266a/GettyImages-2194560839.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Auschwitz-Birkenau Ahead Of The 80th Liberation Anniversary","caption":"Auschwitz-Birkenau Ahead Of The 80th Liberation Anniversary","creditText":"Jakub Porzycki—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/society/","name":"society"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7210025/80-years-after-auschwitz-liberation-fight-against-antisemitism/","name":"How We Must Continue to Fight Antisemitism 80 Years After the Liberation of Auschwitz"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Holocaust Survivor Recalls Horrors of Auschwitz","description":"The 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet troops is being marked at the site of the former death camp, a ceremony that is widely being treated as the last major observance that any notable number of survivors will be able to attend. 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