Honoring the Past, Protecting the Future: Commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day

On January 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day and Holocaust Memorial Day, the victims of genocides past and present are remembered through ceremonies, vigils, film, spoken testimony, and community gatherings to honour victims and survivors. We are encouraged to stop to remember the realities of the Holocaust and other genocides, including the continuing risk of man’s inhumanity to man escalating to committing similar atrocities in the future.

This year, this important day will especially mark and remember the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau 80 years ago, as well as the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia in the early1990’s. It comes at a time when antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, xenophobia, and other forms of intolerance, hostility and suspicion towards different communities are on the rise in many countries, including in our own.

In this episode, as we recall and honor the past, we reflect on the ever more urgent need to be alert to the lessons taught by these atrocities, and join together to focus our intentions and prayers on specific topics they stir in our hearts.

Suggested Intention Focus for this week

This week, as Holocaust Remembrance is honoured and the anniversaries of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and of the genocide in Bosnia are remembered, we suggest holding as our main intention:

We honour the victims and survivors of all past and present genocides, and ask that those who have passed will be at peace, and those who remain will receive courage, comfort and always be protected in healing light.

Please join us in holding this.

Our guided time of prayer and intention sending, to join with us in sending energy starts at 11 minutes 14 seconds.

Legacy Labyrinth Project online workshop 1 February, Joy is a form of Resistance: https://legacylabyrinthproject.kindful.com/register/joy-is-a-form-of-resistance-2025 

Websites and resources relating to this episode:

Holocaust Memorial Day https://hmd.org.uk/what-is-holocaust-memorial-day/this-years-theme/

Holocaust Remembrance Day https://www.ungeneva.org/en/meetings-events/events/observances-special-events/2025/01/holocaust-remembrance-day-27-january-2025

International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust (23 January 2025) https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/international-day-commemoration-memory-victims-holocaust-1

Holocaust Museums and Memorials https://www.un.org/en/holocaustrememberance/additionalresources/museums

European Network Remembrance and Solidarity resources relating to the Shoah (films, interviews, educational resources) https://enrs.eu/news/international-holocaust-remembrance-day-2025

Genocide Watch https://www.genocidewatch.com/

Genocide Watch country reports (includes countries and situations where genocide has not yet been legally classified but atrocities are occurring or considered likely) https://www.genocidewatch.com/copy-of-country-reports-by-region

Our episode marking Holocaust Memorial Day last year, relating Ellen's family's personal story: https://www.heartfulimpact.com/e/holocaust-memorial-day-and-genocide-today/

Chapter markers:

00:00:00            Introduction

00:01:02            Holocaust Remembrance Day

00:04:05            Purpose of Holocaust Memorial Day

00:06:29            Current Genocides around the World

00:08:36            Lasting Effects of Historical Atrocities

00:11:14              Intentions and Prayers

Sources referenced in this episode:

https://www.ungeneva.org/en/meetings-events/events/observances-special-events/2025/01/holocaust-remembrance-day-27-january-2025

https://srebrenica.org.uk/what-happened/history/happened-srebrenica

https://srebrenica.org.uk/what-happened/history/bosnian-war-a-brief-overview

https://hmd.org.uk/what-is-holocaust-memorial-day/this-years-theme/

https://genocideeducation.org/resources/modern-era-genocides/

https://www.hrw.org/breaking-news/2025/01/08/us-state-department-determines-genocide-sudan

https://www.ushmm.org/remember/international-holocaust-remembrance-day

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-accused-genocide-gaza-amnesty-international/

Join us in person for intention holding:  

https://www.legacylabyrinthproject.org/events-1 Labyrinth Activist Network Zoom calls  

https://insighttimer.com/cliverj Daily intention holding with Clive on Insight Timer.  

Our websites:   

www.heartfulimpact.com/   Our show website.  

https://globalhealingresponse.com/ Global Healing Response ~ Offers a wealth of prayers, suggested practices and prompts in response to environmental catastrophe, conflict, and other world events.  

https://www.legacylabyrinthproject.org/ Legacy Labyrinth Project ~ Creating global energetic connections through the labyrinth; inspiring active intention sending using the labyrinth via labyrinth activism.  

https://www.clivejohnsonministry.com/ Clive Johnson Ministry ~ Events and offerings aimed at building beloved community, including weekly energy holding vigils and Power of Eight group.  

https://insighttimer.com/cliverj ~ Daily intention holding.  

Impact! Is presented by Ellen Bintz and Clive Johnson. It is produced by Impact Productions.  

Our show content is hosted by Podbean and available from all major podcast platforms.  

Our theme music is by Chris Collins. indiemusicbox.com.  

Our logo artwork is by AltoClassic (Getty Images/istock).  

Contact us via Facebook Messenger from the Impact! Facebook group, or using any of the contact methods mentioned on our websites.  

Impact! www.heartfulimpact.com.