International Holocaust Survivor Day was initiated in 2021 by Holocaust Scholar Michael Berenbaum and JCC Krakow Executive Director Jonathan Ornstein to celebrate the lives that were saved in the Holocaust. In their words:

 
“Holocaust survivors deserve a day of joy; a day of celebration. Not a day to share with condemnation of the Nazis, but a day to celebrate their lives they built in response to the Holocaust. Survivors represent the best in all of us, the best of the human spirit. They are our treasure and our light and we must shine that light into every dark corner of our world.” (International March of the Living Website)