The annual ‘March of the Living,’ a trek between two former Nazi-run death camps, in Oswiecim and Brzezinka, Poland, May 6, 2024. Photo: Maciek Jazwiecki/ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters Connect

Holocaust Survivor Day celebrates the resilience and enduring legacy of Holocaust survivors while honoring the approximately 196,600 survivors alive today.

More than 80 years after liberation, survivors continue to share their experiences, strengthen communities, and inspire future generations. As opportunities to hear firsthand testimony become increasingly limited, Holocaust Survivor Day reminds us of the importance of learning from survivors and ensuring their stories live on.

Too often, the Holocaust is framed only as history. We believe, at our core, that Holocaust education must always center firsthand testimony, connecting the antisemitism of the past directly to the horrifying rise we observe today. At a time of rising antisemitism, growing extremism, and deep social division, Holocaust survivors offer us critical guidance. Their experiences remind us that hatred does not begin with mass violence; it begins quietly with indifference, exclusion, and dehumanization.

These survivors endured unimaginable suffering and went on to rebuild their lives. They found purpose in creating families, communities, and institutions, proving that hatred will never win. This is why, since 2021, we continue to mark International Holocaust Survivor Day as a dedicated opportunity to honor the vibrant lives our survivors courageously built and the values they continue to instill in future generations.

Many survivors have spent decades speaking in schools, museums, and on public stages, carrying a single, urgent message: Never Forget. They relive their deepest pain publicly because they know that future generations must understand exactly where unchecked hatred leads. Their memory is what will guide a more hopeful future.

Yet, honoring their memory requires looking honestly at their present. In the United States, it is estimated that more than 30% of Holocaust survivors are living in poverty. If we claim to honor them, we have a collective obligation to ensure they can live their final years with absolute dignity. After the terror they endured, no survivor should spend the final chapter of their life facing poverty, hunger, isolation, or fear. No survivor should ever be forced to choose between food, rent, medication, or home care.

At Seed the Dream Foundation, we believe that honoring survivors means listening to them and caring for them. It means preserving their testimonies, educating about the Holocaust alongside contemporary antisemitism, and providing immediate, tangible relief to meet their urgent, day-to-day needs. The moral imperative is straightforward: people who endured persecution, displacement, starvation, and loss should never be left to struggle alone as they age.

We are among the last generations who will have the privilege of knowing Holocaust survivors personally. This profound reality calls on each of us to pause, listen, and cherish the time we still have with these extraordinary individuals. Their resilience, wisdom, and humanity are living gifts, and their stories are our responsibility to carry forward. Today, we honor Holocaust survivors not only for all they endured, but for all they continue to teach us. May we celebrate them, stand with them, and ensure that their legacy inspires a more compassionate world for generations to come.

Dr. Marcy Gringlas is the President and co-founder of Seed the Dream Foundation and the daughter of Holocaust Survivors. Talia Kaplan is the Executive Director of the Seed the Dream Foundation, an impact-driven family foundation, which advances lasting change in communities across the United States and Israel.