Roughly 80 years ago, the German National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi) carried out the largest genocide in world history. The Holocaust targeted minority groups such as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and plus (LGBTQ+) community, the Jewish people, and people with disabilities in Germany, Hungary, Romania, and numerous other countries in Europe. January 27 marks the day that the Soviet Red Army, which provided the largest land force in the Allied victory of World War II, entered Auschwitz and finally liberated thousands of prisoners, according to nationalww2museum.org This annual day of remembrance serves to honor the victims of these atrocious crimes and commemorate the survivors.
There are approximately 10,000 Holocaust memorial monuments worldwide, according to jewishheritageeurope.eu. One of the most infamous memorials is Auschwitz-Birkenau, a former Nazi concentration and extermination camp located in Oświęcim, Poland. 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. From the liberation to the opening of numerous museums such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, people around the globe have participated in the remembrance of the Holocaust for years, according to npr.com.

In 2024, over 1.83 million people visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, according to auschwitz.org. Even 80 years after the Holocaust took place, visitors continue to learn about the tragedy of those who lost their lives. Dr. Piotr Cywiński, the Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, commented on the significance of recognizing the Nazi persecution that led to extreme anti-Semitism, racism, and group-targeted violence.
“A visit to the authentic Memorial is not the same as a visit to any other museum, even one dedicated to similar issues,” Dr. Cywiński said, according to auschwitz.org. “This experience should change a person. Our mission is to show the past and enable every visitor to undergo their rite of passage, reflecting our responsibility today.”
The Holocaust, orchestrated by Mr. Adolf Hitler during World War II, was responsible for sponsoring mass extermination camps. The word “holocaust,” originating from the Greek words “holos” (whole) and “kaustos” (burned), describes sacrificial offerings burned on an altar, according to history.com. Six million Jewish people and five million others were forced out of their homes and sent to these camps by the Nazis from 1933 to 1945, and approximately two-thirds of the Jewish people that lived in Europe were killed, according to history.com.
In the ninth-grade English curriculum at Sacred Heart Greenwich, students read about the historical events of the Holocaust in the book, Maus by Mr. Art Spiegelman. Maus, a graphic novel, is the true story of Mr. Spiegelman’s parents’ experience in the Holocaust told through cartoons with a meta-narrative element. In the graphic novel, Mr. Speigelman portrays Jewish people as mice, and the Nazis as cats, according to libraries.mit.edu. This depiction through the form of a comic book allows students to develop a wider range of skills in visual and textual analysis. Sophomore Catherine Ononye read the book last year and expressed the impact of the descriptive visuals and unique perspective of the Holocaust from a survivor.

“The most eye-opening part of the book was seeing how the events of the Holocaust were extremely violent, based purely on a strong dislike of others, and affected many families on such a great scale,” Catherine said. “After reading the book, I have become more appreciative of the struggles different minorities have experienced for generations.”
The discrimination towards minority groups on a large scale is recognized in the past corruption in society. Maus is an informative and powerful book for adolescents and adults to gain a further understanding of the events of the Holocaust through the story of a survivor. Dr. David Smigen-Rothkopf, Upper School English Teacher, shared his experience teaching the book to students and gave insights about the importance of Holocaust remembrance in modern-day society.
“Recognizing the historical fact of the Holocaust is the primary way of combating the long history of anti-Semitism across the world,” Dr. Smigen-Rothkopf said. “More broadly, accepting that human beings were not only the victims, but the perpetrators of genocide is a potent reminder of the monumental potential for good and evil in all of us and the urgent need to combat bigotry in all its many forms. Maus acknowledges that the majority of Holocaust tales were not of survival and will never be told. Maus knows it can only speak to the experiences of one father and son, the author, thereby respecting the individuality and humanity of the millions of stories that will never be told. The impact of guilt, regret, loss, and suffering felt by those who did survive are mere echoes of the millions of vibrant lives that were cut short. Maus makes it very clear that genocides never have just one story, but are wounds in history that impact generations of generations.”
Featured Image by Natalia Wright ’27