Join Edinburgh University Students’ Association, the Black & Minority Ethnic Students’ Campaign, & Edinburgh University Jewish Society to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2020.
Holocaust Memorial Day 2020 marks 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
We’ll be joined by a Holocaust survivor & representative of the Holocaust Educational Trust (UK) Francoise who will be sharing her story & reminding us why it’s vital we continue to bear witness for those who have endured & been impacted by genocide.
Following Francoise’s talk there will be a small, informal reception & opportunity to discuss the night’s event.
To reserve your place, please click on the ticket link above & book via Eventbrite.
To find out more about Holocaust Memorial Day & how you can take part, visit www.hmd.org.uk/.
The theme for HMD 2020 is Stand Together. It explores how genocidal regimes throughout history have deliberately fractured societies by marginalising certain groups, and how these tactics can be challenged by individuals standing together with their neighbours, and speaking out against oppression.
In the years leading up to the Holocaust, Nazi policies and propaganda deliberately encouraged divisions within German society – urging ‘Aryan’ Germans to keep themselves separate from their Jewish neighbours. The Holocaust, Nazi Persecution of other groups and each subsequent genocide, was enabled by ordinary citizens not standing with their targeted neighbours.
Today there is increasing division in communities across the UK and the world. Now more than ever, we need to stand together with others in our communities in order to stop division and the spread of identity-based hostility in our society.
HMD 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz – this is a significant milestone and is made particularly poignant by the dwindling number of survivors who are able to share their testimony. It also marks the 25th anniversary of the Genocide in Bosnia.
#StandTogether online Commemorative Project
Millions of people were stripped of their humanity and murdered during the Holocaust and Nazi Persecution. Each person was unique, with their own interests, friends and family. Take part in our online project to #StandTogether with thousands of others in remembrance, and share information about one of these people on your Facebook or Twitter account.
Marking Holocaust Memorial Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:
Holocaust Memorial Day is an important reminder of the millions of people who were murdered, or whose lives were changed forever, during the Holocaust and other genocides.
“By marking this date, we must reflect upon and learn the important lessons from these horrendous acts of violence and terror. We pay tribute to the survivors, who were forced to flee their homes and livelihoods in the face of unthinkable persecution. We also honour the legacy of those who demonstrated immense bravery and courage fighting for liberty, freedom and justice, many of whom, sadly, paid with their lives.
“This year is particularly poignant as we observe the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and 25 years since the genocide in Srebrenica. The theme for this Holocaust Memorial Day – ‘Stand Together’ – highlights the importance of our collective societal responsibility to stand against hatred and prejudice and to promote strong, inclusive and respectful communities.
“We all need to work together to ensure that everyone, regardless of their background, race, faith or sexuality is treated with equal respect and dignity. Today’s announcement of funding for security measures to protect our places of worship against hate crime will help promote the very clear message that hatred and prejudice will not be tolerated in Scotland.”
UK Government to give £1M funding to the Auschwitzs-Birkenau Foundation
A £1m donation to help preserve the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and ensure the lessons of Auschwitz live on will be confirmed today.
A £1m donation to help preserve the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and ensure the lessons of Auschwitz live on for generations to come will be confirmed today.
The funding will come from the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick confirmed.
The announcement comes ahead of a speech by the Foreign Secretary at a Holocaust Memorial Event on Wednesday, in which he will emphasise the importance of Holocaust remembrance and education as a means of ensuring such atrocities never happen again.
The Communities Secretary attended the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem on Thursday at which leaders from over 50 countries assembled to mark the anniversary.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation endowment fund supports the consolidation, restoration and long-term maintenance of the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps.
Foreign Secretary, The Rt Hon Dominic Raab said: “I remember as a young boy the regular heart-rending laments by my grandmother for the family lost to Auschwitz and the other death camps.
“The Government is supporting the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, because we must never forget history’s darkest moment, and we must educate future generations so it can never be repeated.”
Communities Secretary, The Rt Hon Robert Jenrick said: “I was honoured to attend the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem last week. It was heartening to see leaders of all faiths and nations come together to remember the Holocaust and renew our promise to the victims and survivors.
“This £1m funding for the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation is part of delivering on that promise. Today on Holocaust Memorial Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the camps, the UK stands shoulder to shoulder with our Jewish countrymen and women.
“As the father of children whose great-grandparents endured and survived the concentration camps of the Holocaust, I know how important it is that future generations are aware of the stories of survivors.
“This donation will help to support the preservation of the site so that we can never forget the horror of the Holocaust. We cannot, and will not, let such evil happen again.”
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