B’nai B’rith hosted a global virtual program in observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, held each year in memory of the six million Jews murdered in the Shoah and the millions of other victims of Nazism.

2023 Theme

This year’s program was dedicated to the need to hear directly from Holocaust survivors themselves about their experiences during the Shoah, now and going forward, as well as the future of Holocaust remembrance through virtual reality (VR) technology.

Program Summary

B’nai B’rith CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin delivered opening remarks and hosted our event, first introducing our keynote speaker, Prof. Ivan Lefkovits, a Holocaust survivor from Prešov, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia). Prof. Lefkovits shared his personal testimony, having survived both Ravensbrück and Bergen-Belsen Nazi concentration camps.

Then, Kelley Szany, Senior Vice President of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, explored the future of Holocaust remembrance and the Museum’s efforts making sure the experiences of Shoah survivors can live on forever through interaction with future generations.