Steven Spielberg is leading a group of Hollywood executives who will be attending the ceremonies to mark the 70th anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz. The date is also commemorated by the UN as its official Holocaust remembrance day.
Spielberg will be joined by Discovery Communications CEO David Zaslav who once said “My grandmother was in Warsaw and they lost everything, and they came to America. They were the lucky ones.” He is chair of the Auschwitz: The Past Is Present Committee.
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Sponsored by The USC Shoah Foundation, The Institute for Visual History and Education and Discovery Education state that they are honored to partner together to engage a new generation in awareness, remembrance, and community building through Auschwitz: The Past is Present, a multi-faceted communication and education program.
Taking place in Poland January 24-27, 2015, the program marks 70 years since the Auschwitz camp complex was liberated. The joint effort is designed to promote a deeper understanding of 20th century history and its continuing relevance, hone digital literacy and critical thinking skills using real-world applications and audiovisual testimony, and inspire action against racism, intolerance, and prejudice and the suffering they cause.
The world’s attention will focus on the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum on January 27, 2015, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the former Nazi German concentration and extermination camps. Nations from around the world will send delegates who will join some of the last living survivors to mark this historic anniversary and reflect on how future generations can take on the responsibility of remembrance.
Discovery Communications will air special programming for the event in 230 countries and as part of its Discovery Education division. Zaslav said, “It’s not just about the Holocaust. It’s about combating hate, whatever your ethnicity.”
He told Variety, “It’s a solemn moment to reflect and recognize that we have come a long way in dealing with hate and genocide, but we have a long way to go. It’s important to recognize what happened there. Auschwitz is the best example of what can happen when religious, racial and ethnic hatred is unbridled.”
The delegation will include Len Blavatnik, Haim Saban, Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, investor Joel Citron, attorney Stephen A. Cozen, World Jewish Congress president Ronald S. Lauder and tech mogul Yuri Milner.
