Just a few days separate Passover and Holocaust Remembrance Day -- two holidays marking formative events in our history. First, the exodus from Egypt, which both laid the foundations for our Jewish value system, our ethos and the right of each individual and the nation to a life of freedom, and made it compulsory for every generation to see itself as if it had gone out of Egypt. Second is the greatest tragedy that ever befell our nation. It happened 70 years ago and left an indelible mark on our nation's flesh and blood, becoming a major factor behind our Jewish and Israeli identity. For Holocaust survivors, this was a modern experience of the exodus from Egypt, from suffering and bondage to freedom and salvation. The commandment to "tell your son" the Passover story received a special significance. Indeed, all around the world the Holocaust became a central factor in the Jewish identity. In Israel, the Holocaust empowered the Zionist narrative, the need for a homeland and our right to the land of Israel. No doubt the Holocaust will remain deeply fixed in our collective memory. It was certainly unprecedented in its historical significance and scope. In a recent public opinion poll prepared by Dr. Mina Tzemach, some 82 percent of respondents in Israel said that believed that memories of the Holocaust would be preserved forever. Even if Holocaust deniers are alive today, they are the minority. In the stone buildings of Auschwitz and Dachau, in the barracks that were preserved, meetings have occurred between the children and grandchildren of both the killers and their victims, the torturers and the tortured. They know that within those facilities lie not just Jewish victims, but the embodiment of human evil as well. The lessons of the Holocaust punctuate the global education system. Ceremonies, memorials, historical accounts, survivors' personal anecdotes and Holocaust artwork continue to relay history. But despite all of that, is modern society totally immune from the phenomenon of Nazi racism, which once metastasized and overwhelmed an "enlightened" nation such as Germany? Judging from the slew of festering neo-Nazi movements across the globe these days, we must regretfully surmise that the lessons of the Holocaust have yet to be learned. It's certainly an ongoing topic of conversation between us and the non-Jewish world. At the same time, we are strong enough to direct the question inward as well, reflecting on the basic values of Israeli society. So the central question standing behind the memorialization of the Holocaust is not just how to remember or how to help others remember, but the ethical message we are trying to pass on to the coming generations after the last of the Holocaust survivors is no longer with us. What of this whole tragedy will endure in our collective memory? The victims alone? The human spirt? The triumph over evil? At the end of an international conference curated by Yad Vashem and called "Holocaust Remembrance: The Legacy of Survival," survivors published a declaration of purpose. The concluding paragraphs go like this: "We who staggered through the valley of death, only to see how our families, our communities and our people were destroyed, did not descend into despondency and despair. Rather, we struggled to extract a message of meaning and renewed purpose for our people and for all people, namely message of humanity, of human decency and of human dignity. "The Holocaust, which established the standard for absolute evil, is the universal heritage of all civilized people. The lessons of the Holocaust must form the cultural code for education toward humane values, democracy, human rights, tolerance and patience, and opposition to racism and totalitarian ideologies. "From Har Hazikaron in Jerusalem the words of Rabbi Hillel need to ring out loud and clear: 'What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow human being.'" Indeed, zero tolerance for phenomena of racism and solidarity with nations experiencing suffering similar to our own are Jewish values that must be instilled in the coming generations. It must be our message to the world too. Colette Avital is chairwoman of the Center of Organizations of Holocaust Survivors in Israel and a former MK.