Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
It is the 78th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
We remember the six million Jews and millions of other people who were victims of the Nazi regime.
And we give thanks for those Jews who miraculously survived the Nazi concentration and extermination camps and have gone on to live incredible lives around the world and raise a new generation.
Today, as we regrettably witness a resurgence of antisemitism in the world – including in Australia – we are reminded of our enduring duty to protect freedom of speech and freedom of religious association.
The words of Holocaust survivor and philosopher, Hannah Arendt, continue to carry weight:
“As citizens, we must prevent wrongdoing because the world in which we all live, wrong-doer, wrong sufferer and spectator, is at stake.”
May our enduring remembrance and understanding of one of the darkest events in history ensure that history is never repeated.
Never again.