JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jan. 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a day to remember and honor the millions of Jews and other victims killed by the Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945. It also marks the day Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp, was liberated.
Cecilia Cristol is a second-generation Holocaust survivor living in Jacksonville. She said her mother was able to escape the atrocities happening across Europe.
"She left Romania, went to Italy, boarded a boat in Italy, and went and escaped Europe in 1941," Cristol recalled.
Cristol's mother was only nine years old when she left home. With the help of Cristol's great aunt, she was able to get to London.
"If certain events didn't happen on certain days, if it was one day later, I might not be here,” Cristol said.
Cristol said being the daughter of a Holocaust survivor has shaped her. While her mother did not talk about that time of her life much, Cristol said she was still taught important lessons.
"That was my mom's big mantra that you only have one life, but you can buy another rug, you can buy another couch, you can buy another toothbrush. It makes you value life more. And it makes you appreciate the ones who are around you," Cristol said.
With the Anti-Defamation League seeing a rise in antisemitism since the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, Cristol believes Holocaust education is even more important this year.
"If you don't look and see what's happening and make a change, history just repeats itself,” Cristol explained.
Cristol is a speaker for the Third Generation Holocaust Project. She shares her family's story with students and organizations around Jacksonville. She also volunteers with the LJD Jewish Family and Community Services where she met Melissa Williams.
Williams is the coordinator of Holocaust education at JFCS.
"Education is key. That's the way that we can combat hate," Williams said.
She has created programs designed to teach people about what happened during the Holocaust and make sure the victims are never forgotten.
"The people who've used our resources will tell you that they learn more about the Holocaust, but they also walk away with a sense of empathy, and also with a sense of hope," Williams said.
As the world commemorated International Holocaust Remembrance Day Saturday, Cristol was thinking of her family and the millions of people who lost their lives to hate.
“I'm going to hope and pray that change will come and keep everybody close to my heart, and try and be an advocate. So it doesn't happen again," Cristol said.
To learn more about the JFCS and its resources, click here.