Students from across Monaco gathered this week at the amphitheatre of Collège Charles III for a dedicated study day marking the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, an annual moment of reflection that continues to hold strong educational significance within the Principality…
Organised in line with initiatives led by the Council of Europe, the event brought together pupils from lower secondary through to upper secondary level for a series of four structured presentations exploring crimes against humanity, with a particular focus on the Holocaust. The programme approached the subject from legal, historical and philosophical perspectives, encouraging students to engage critically with one of the darkest chapters of 20th-century European history.
Speakers recalled the scale of the genocide carried out by Nazi Germany, in which six million Jews, two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population at the time, were murdered. Beyond statistics, the discussions aimed to deepen understanding of the mechanisms that led to persecution, deportation and genocide, while also examining the long process of reconstruction faced by Jewish communities in France and beyond in the years following the Second World War.
Teachers involved in the initiative stressed the importance of linking historical memory to contemporary issues, noting that the concept of crimes against humanity remains tragically relevant in today’s global context. By confronting these themes directly, the study day sought to foster reflection, vigilance and civic responsibility among young people.
The message echoed the words of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel, often cited during commemorations of the Shoah; forgetting the dead, he warned, would be to kill them a second time.
