The Romani Hindu Faith/Dharma, Culture & History

Today, August 2, is the Roma (& Sinti) Holocaust Memorial Day. The Romani Holocaust (often referred to as the Porrajmos - a term that, while widely used, is linguistically controversial, as in some dialects it translates to "rape", alternative and more right terms include Samudaripen - Genocide, Kali Traš - Black Fear, and Sarvanaš—a word whose closest translation may suggest a total or complete disappearance)   did hit the up to 2.5 million Roma, Sinti-Manouché and Kale as the direct victims who were killed by the Nazi Germany & its collaborators. The date of 2 August was chosen for the memorial because on the night of 2–3 August 1944, 2,897 Roma, mostly women, children and elderly people, were killed in the "Gypsy families camp" ("Zigeunerfamilienlager") at Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

This date, May 16, marks a pivotal moment in history, when the Romani prisoners incarcerated in the so-called “Zigeunerlager” (Gypsy Camp), also known as the “Zigeunerfamilienlager” (Camp of the Gypsy Families) at Auschwitz-Birkenau, initiated a courageous act of resistance. The uprising began upon learning of the German Nazi regime’s intention to liquidate the camp by exterminating the remaining 6,000 Romani detainees in the gas chambers. On the night of May 16th, 1944, the Roma rose in defiance against the SS guards, armed only with tools of labour—hammers, pickaxes, and shovels. Through their bravery and resistance, no Roma were murdered in the gas chambers on that day. This revolt stands as the sole documented instance of an uprising at Auschwitz, and it is rightly honoured as Romani Resistance Day. It is essential to view this event within the broader context of the Romani Holocaust—often referred to as the Porrajmos (a term that, while widely used, is linguistically controversial...