On Holocaust Remembrance Day, which falls today, 27 January, all countries around the world are promoting initiatives to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and to invite reflection and remembrance.

In Italy, the anniversary was established by Law no. 211/2000, in order not to forget the extermination and persecution of Jewish people and Italian military and political deportees to Nazi camps. The Law provides for organising ceremonies, initiatives, meetings and common events dedicated to reflection and narration of the facts. In particular, the Law stipulates the involvement of schools to ensure that the memory of a tragic and dark period of history in Italy and in Europe may be preserved in the future of Italy, and that similar events may never happen again.
Many events organised throughout Italy to remember the tragedy of the Shoah are aimed precisely at young people and students. The following list contains some examples of these events.

Ministry of Education and Merit - I giovani ricordano la Shoah (Young People Remember the Shoah), a competition aimed at students in primary and secondary educational institutions and promoted in collaboration with the Union of Italian Jewish Communities. 

Tuscan Region - La memoria della liberazione. Dalle deportazioni nazifasciste alla fine della Guerra (The Memory of Liberation. From the Nazi-Fascist Deportations to the End of the War) - which took place as part of the Giovanisì project on 24 January in Florence (Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino). The event started with a streaming connection with schools in Tuscany. The programme is published on the Region's website.

Roma Capitale - Memoria genera Futuro (Memory Generates the Future), The full programme can be found on the Roma Culture website.

Municipality of Bologna - Initiatives in various venues around the city (21 January-27 February) with many meetings aimed at students. The programme is available on the Municipality's website.

Documents and other useful materials for schools and children:
Guidelines on Combating Anti-Semitism in Schools -The result of an initiative by the National Coordinator for Combating Anti-Semitism at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Milena Santerini, the Guidelines can be consulted on the website of the Ministry of Education and Merit.

A selection of books suggested by the Innocenti A. C. Moro Library, to help school-aged children engage with the Remembrance Day, is available on the Library’s website in the “Bibliografie” section.

Much information can also be found on the Scuola e Memoria (School and Memory) portal created by the Ministry of Education and Merit in cooperation with the Union of Italian Jewish Communities.

Further materials and news can be found on this site under Racial discrimination, accessible from the “Topics” navigation menu.