Memory Generates the Future — Holocaust Remembrance Day in Rome

A city-wide program for Holocaust Remembrance Day

"Memory Generates the Future" is the program through which Rome, via its Department of Culture and the Cultural Activities Department, celebrates Holocaust Remembrance Day each year. Created to ensure the Holocaust is never forgotten, the project has established itself as one of the most important civic events in the capital of the Lazio region: a widespread initiative that spans the entire city to engage new generations and keep the voices of survivors alive.

Over forty events across the city

The calendar brings together more than forty initiatives, mostly free of charge, hosted in dozens of cultural venues: neighborhood libraries, theaters, civic museums, cinemas, and cultural centers. The program weaves together meetings, book presentations, concerts, theatrical performances, film screenings, exhibitions, and guided tours, creating a collective narrative that combines historical reflection with artistic emotion.

Beyond the Holocaust

While focusing on the extermination of the Jewish people, "Memory Generates the Future" broadens its scope to include all victims of Nazi-Fascism: Sinti and Roma people, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, interned soldiers, and political dissidents who were persecuted, imprisoned, and killed in concentration camps across Europe. This approach restores the complexity of memory and invites us to recognize every form of persecution and discrimination.

The heart of January 27th

The highlight coincides with January 27th, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. This day features guided tours of the ancient Jewish Ghetto of Rome, concerts featuring music by Jewish composers, readings for children, and screenings of iconic films such as Francesco Rosi's "The Truce." Numerous events are dedicated to schools, with workshops and readings designed for children and teenagers.

A network of city institutions

The initiative is promoted by the city of Rome with the coordination of the Department of Cultural Activities and the Library and Cultural Center System, in collaboration with the Capitoline Superintendence for Cultural Heritage and numerous city organizations: the Shoah Museum Foundation, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Foundation, the Cinema per Roma Foundation, the Rome Opera House Foundation, the Teatro di Roma Foundation, and the Palaexpo Special Agency. This collaborative network makes "Memory Generates the Future" a defining event for the Roman community and the entire Lazio region.