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FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1//                                           
TO NAVADMIN                                                          
INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// 
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UNCLAS//N05354//                                                     
NAVADMIN 105/12                                                      
MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/MAR//                            
SUBJ/OBSERVANCE OF 2012 HOLOCAUST DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE//              

RMKS/1.  THIS YEAR'S HOLOCAUST DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE, WITH A THEME OF "CHOOSING 
TO ACT:  STORIES OF RESCUE," WILL BE OBSERVED FROM 15-22 APRIL 2012.                                                          

2.  ESTABLISHED BY CONGRESS IN 1980 AS THE NATION'S ANNUAL COMMEMORATION OF 
THE HOLOCAUST, THE WEEK OF REMEMBRANCE RUNS FROM THE SUNDAY BEFORE HOLOCAUST 
REMEMBRANCE DAY, ALSO CALLED "YOM HASHOAH," THROUGH THE FOLLOWING SUNDAY.  
THIS YEAR, HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY WILL BE OBSERVED THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 
2012.           

3.  THE HOLOCAUST WAS THE STATE-SPONSORED, SYSTEMATIC ANNIHILATION OF EUROPEAN 
JEWS BY NAZI GERMANY AND ITS COLLABORATORS.  BETWEEN 1933 AND 1945, MORE THAN 
SIX MILLION JEWS WERE MURDERED.  ADDITIONALLY, MILLIONS OF POLES, SOVIET 
PRISONERS OF WAR, GYPSIES, JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES, POLITICAL DISSIDENTS, THE 
PHYSICALLY AND        
MENTALLY DISABLED, AND HOMOSEXUALS ALSO SUFFERED GRIEVOUS PERSECUTION UNDER 
NAZI TYRANNY.                                      

4.  MANY JEWS SURVIVED THE HOLOCAUST THROUGH THE BRAVERY OF ORDINARY CITIZENS.  
CONFRONTED WITH THE PERSECUTION AND MURDER OF EUROPE'S JEWS, WITNESSES HAD A 
CHOICE TO INTERVENE OR IGNORE THE NAZI'S POLICIES AND PRACTICES.  INVOLVEMENT 
MEANT RUNNING THE RISK OF SEVERE PUNISHMENT, AND MOST PEOPLE OPTED TO DO 
NOTHING.  IN SEPTEMBER 1943, NAZI OFFICIALS ORDERED LOUKAS KARRER, MAYOR OF 
THE ISLAND OF ZAKYNTHOS, GREECE, TO HAND OVER A LIST OF THE 275 ZAKYNTHOS 
JEWS.  KARRER TURNED TO GREEK ORTHODOX BISHOP CHRYSOSTOMOS FOR HELP.  WHILE 
THE BISHOP NEGOTIATED WITH NAZI OFFICIALS, THE ISLAND'S JEWS FLED TO REMOTE 
MOUNTAIN VILLAGES, WHERE THEY WERE HIDDEN BY NON-JEWISH RESIDENTS.  WHEN THE 
NAZI COMMANDER RETURNED FOR THE NAMES OF ALL ZAKYNTHOS JEWS, CHRYSOSTOMOS 
PRESENTED A LIST WITH JUST TWO NAMES-HIS OWN AND THE MAYOR'S.  A YEAR LATER, 
THE TWO MEN DEFIED ANOTHER GERMAN DEMAND TO DEPORT THE JEWS OF ZAKYNTHOS. THE 
LEADERS' CONTINUED COURAGE AND THE VILLAGERS' STEADFAST REFUSAL TO BETRAY 
THEIR JEWISH NEIGHBORS ENSURED ALL THE JEWS OF ZAKYNTHOS SURVIVED THE WAR.  IN 
THE REST OF GREECE, MORE THAN 80 PERCENT OF THE JEWISH POPULATION WAS KILLED 
IN THE HOLOCAUST.                   

5.  OTHER WELL-KNOWN EXAMPLES OF RESCUERS FROM ACROSS NAZI-OCCUPIED EUROPE 
INCLUDE THE SWEDISH DIPLOMAT RAOUL WALLENBERG IN BUDAPEST; THE GERMAN 
INDUSTRIALIST OSKAR SCHINDLER AT HIS FACTORY IN POLAND; MIEP GIES, WHO HID 
ANNE FRANK IN HOLLAND; AND THE DANISH RESISTANCE FIGHTERS WHO FERRIED ALMOST 
ALL OF DENMARK'S JEWS TO SAFETY IN SWEDEN.  FOR EACH PERSON WHO WAS RESCUED 
AND SURVIVED THE HOLOCAUST, COUNTLESS MORE WERE KILLED.  THIS YEAR'S HOLOCAUST 
DAYS OF           REMEMBRANCE THEME ENCOURAGES OUR NATION TO REMEMBER THOSE 
THAT CHOSE TO ACT BY COUNTERING INDIFFERENCE WITH VIGILANCE AND APATHY WITH 
ACTION.                                                              

6.  ALL COMMANDS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE HOLOCAUST 
MEMORIAL MUSEUM, THE DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE, AND HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY 
THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN RELATED MILITARY AND COMMUNITY EVENTS, PROGRAMS AND 
EXHIBITS.  RESOURCES FOR PLANNING A MILITARY AUDIENCE OBSERVANCE CAN BE FOUND 
ONLINE AT                  
HTTP://WWW.USHMM.ORG/REMEMBRANCE/DOR/MILITARY/.  FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE 
UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM, VISIT HTTP://WWW.USHMM.ORG/.  A 
SPECIAL PRESENTATION ON THE DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE 
DEFENSE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE WEBSITE AT                                      
HTTP://WWW.DEOMI.ORG/SPECIALOBSERVANCE/PRESENTATIONS.CFM?CATID=10.   
MORE INFORMATION ON DIVERSITY CONFERENCES, EVENTS, AND OBSERVANCES ARE 
AVAILABLE AT THE NAVY DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION WEBSITE:           
HTTP://WWW.NPC.NAVY.MIL/COMMANDSUPPORT/DIVERSITY.                    

7.  POINT OF CONTACT IS ENS AMBER LYNN DANIEL, OPNAV N134, AT (703) 604-5071 
OR VIA E-MAIL AT amberlynn.daniel@navy.mil.              

8.  RELEASED BY VICE ADMIRAL S. R. VAN BUSKIRK, N1.//

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