On Tuesday evening, a commemoration ceremony for the United Nations Holocaust Memorial Day was held in Hong Kong.
January 27th is the day chosen to commemorate the memory of the Jewish victims murdered during the Holocaust. It was when the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland was liberated. On this day every year, the world remembers the six million lives slaughtered, simply because they were Jewish.
The official representative of the Hong Kong SAR Government Mr. Clarence Leung, Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, delivered a speech at this symbolic and important memorial ceremony in Hong Kong.
Ms. Gu Pan, Deputy Director of General Affairs Division of Consular Department Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the HKSAR, was also present with almost 300 guests including consuls general and diplomatic representatives, leaders and members of the Jewish community and friends in Hong Kong.
In his remarks, Consul General of Israel to Hong Kong Mr. Amir Lati highlighted the alarming rise in anti-Semitic incidents worldwide since the October 7 terror attacks and 2025 being one of the deadliest years in recent memory: at least 20 people were murdered in antisemitic attacks in Washington, D.C.; Boulder, Colorado; Manchester, United Kingdom; and, most recently, in Sydney, Australia. He stressed the importance of global remembrance, education, and a shared commitment to prevent future atrocities.
Mr. Lati especially devoted his remarks to his former professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and retired diplomat Dr. Ambassador Jacob Cohen, a Holocaust survivor who carried the memories throughout his life until his passing six months ago.
93-year-old Madam Larissa Cain shared in person her testimony as a Warsaw Ghetto survivor who was rescued at age 10 and lived in hiding until the end of the war. Now based in Paris, she bears witness to the Holocaust through her writings, preserving the voices of those silenced by history.
The event and related educational activities were made possible by the event organizer - the Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Center, and other supporters including the Hong Kong Jewish Community and the Consulate General of Israel in Hong Kong.
Consulate General of Israel in Hong Kong
info@hongkong.mfa.gov.il
Israeli Consul-General of Israel Amir Lati addresses Tuesday’s Holocaust Memorial Day held in Hong Kong. – Photo courtesy of Consulate-General of Israel
