Every year, for Yom Hashoah or Holocaust Remembrance Day, ceremonies are held around the world, including Augusta, to honor the lives of the six-million Jews killed during the Holocaust.

Herbert Kohn is one survivor who’s working to keep history alive in hopes of changing the future.

Kohn travels the country sharing his life story and the turmoil of growing up Jewish in Germany as the Nazi Party rose to power.

“Discrimination leads to segregation leads to persecution, and ends in extermination. Those 4 words from 1933 to 1945 describe what happened Thank God I was in three of the stages and didn’t get to the last stage,” Kohn said.

Kohn's father was released from the Buchenwald concentration camp after being tortured only because he had a certificate of proof that he'd fought for Germany during World War I.

However, Kohn's grandfather and other family members died along with 6 million others during the Holocaust.

Kohn says crimes against humanity are still happening today.

“We cannot afford to be bystanders. First of all, Darfur is a very current thing in Sudan. The next thing I talk about to students is Columbine, Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois University,” he said. “Bystanders is when you follow the good American principle, "It ain't none of my business" kinda thing, but we can't afford that anymore, too many crimes going on.”

A special exhibit open through May 9th at the Augusta Jewish Community Center tells the story of Carl Lutz, a man who helped save the lives of 62,000 Jews during the Holocaust.

Kohn, now 81, says it's these stories and spirits that must live on if we are to keep the past from repeating itself.

“We gotta work at it. Nothing happens by itself. Even God has a piece in all of us, but He depends on us to make it happen,” Kohn said.

To see the Carl Lutz Exhibit, call the Augusta Jewish Community at 706-228-3636 for times. It's free and open to the public.