On January 27, 1945, Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest and one of the most infamous and deadliest concentration camps of the Holocaust, was liberated by the Red Army.  The Soviets held a military offensive near Kraków earlier that month and were unaware of the existence of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp.

The soldiers were horrified by what they saw.  Emaciated skeletons, some scarred by medical experiments.  Most of the individuals were too weak to move.  

The Soviets set up two field hospitals.  The Red Cross brought another in.  Unfortunately, for many inmates, the help came too late, and they perished, not being able to overcome their tortures.

Of the 1.3 million individuals sent to Auschwitz, 1.1 million lost their lives.

2005, the United Nations proclaimed January 27th as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.  This day honors the survivors and commemorates the victims of the Holocaust.  It reaffirms the commitment never to forget and develop educational programs to help prevent history from repeating itself.

On Friday, January 26th, 2024, the MENSCH Foundation held a commemoration event at the Palm Desert Civic Park.

Attendees included Holocaust survivors, city and state representatives, clergy, Palm Desert Charter and Sacred Heart Middle Schools students, and the community.

Steven Geiger, Mench Foundation Founder and Director, introduced the speakers: Holocaust survivor Henry Friedman, Palm Desert’s Mayor Jan Harnik, Sacred Heart’s Pastor Gregory Elder, St. Margaret Episcopal Church’s Reverend Andrew Butler, Jewish Federation CEO Alan Potash, RM Chabad Rabbi Benny Lew, and cantors Joseph Gole and Ezra Yaron.

The commemoration concluded by walking to the Holocaust Memorial, the only one in Riverside County, where seven candles were lit in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.