The Speaker urged people to “learn the lessons of the past” as he hosted a special commemoration for Holocaust Memorial Day in the House of Commons.
The international date remembers the six million Jews murdered under Nazi persecution, and the victims of subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
‘One Day’ is the theme chosen by the Holocaust Memorial Trust – which focuses on a moment in time that changed forever the lives of those affected by genocide.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who was joined by faith leaders, MPs and the parliamentary community to light candles and read personal accounts from victims of past atrocities, urged colleagues “to remember, to learn and to hope there may be One Day in the future with no genocide.”
“Holocaust Memorial Day prompts us to learn the lessons of the past and recognise that genocide does not just take place on its own – it’s a steady process which can begin if discrimination, racism and hatred are not checked and prevented,” he said.
“As we have heard, so much can happen in one day. Lives can be changed; they can be ended, but they must never be forgotten.”
Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg, former minister Dame Margaret Hodge and shadow foreign secretary David Lammy, Rabbi Debbie Young-Somers and Laura Marks, chair of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, were among those taking part in the ceremony in Portcullis House led by Speaker’s Chaplain Revd Tricia Hillas.
The House of Commons was among iconic buildings and landmarks across the country to be lit up in purple last night to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day.
The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) 2021 is Be the light in the darkness. It encourages everyone to reflect on the depths humanity can sink to, but also the ways individuals and communities resisted that darkness to ‘be the light’ before, during and after genocide.
Be the light in the darkness is an affirmation and a call to action for everyone marking HMD. This theme asks us to consider different kinds of ‘darkness’, for example, identity-based persecution, misinformation, denial of justice; and different ways of ‘being the light’, for example, resistance, acts of solidarity, rescue and illuminating mistruths.
Increasing levels of denial, division and misinformation in today’s world mean we must remain vigilant against hatred and identity-based hostility. Rapid technological developments, a turbulent political climate, and world events beyond our control can leave us feeling helpless and insignificant.
The utterly unprecedented times through which we are living currently are showing the very best of which humanity is capable but also – in some of the abuse and conspiracy theories being spread on social media – the much darker side of our world as well.
We can all stand in solidarity. We can choose to be the light in the darkness in a variety of ways and places – at home, in public, and online.
Scope of the theme
1 – Darkness draws in
a) The darkness of distortion and hate b) Emotional darkness
Before every genocide, perpetrators divide society into those considered worthy of human treatment, and those who are not. Distortions are deployed using propaganda and stereotyping to identify and victimise a specific group (or groups), followed by discrimination – often enshrined into law. The darkness leading to genocide also causes deep emotional trauma.
For those affected, fear, hopelessness and dread all have a profound and long-lasting impact.
2 – Light during the darkness
a) Resistance – a light in the darkness b) Rescuers – extreme bravery in the darkness c) Lighting the way with kindness d) Shining light into the darkness
Amid the darkness of genocide, there have always been those who oppose the regime, risking their own lives, homes and communities. Maintaining faith and culture during genocide defies the ambitions of regimes to eradicate entire groups and their culture. Survivors emphasise that any kindness, when surrounded by suffering, indifference, and persecution, is powerful.
For the international community, there is a responsibility to shine a light on situations where people are persecuted and hold those responsible to account.
3 – Darkness today
a) The darkness of denial and distortions of genocide b) Identity based prejudice and hostility today
Denial is one of the common features of every genocide. Often those responsible for genocide will restrict access to physical locations and evidence, and seek to obscure their intentions and genocidal activity. Sadly, prejudice and hostility against people based on their identity continues to hurt people and communities here in the UK, and around the world.
4 – Being the light in the darkness today
a) Shining light through testimony b) Confronting denial, distortion and misinformation c) Our responsibility to be the light
This year’s theme asks all of us to recognise that the responsibility for genocide education and prevention does not lie only with survivors sharing their testimony. Their experiences hold lessons for all of us and it is vital that we listen to their experiences and become witnesses for them.
As distortions and denial increase, facing the extent and nature of the crimes committed to reveal the truth of genocide and genocidal regimes is more important than ever.
Our lights are more powerful when we work together with others. This theme may inspire you to support charities and community groups working to tackle identity-based violence and denial.
Holocaust Memorial Day enables us to remember – for a purpose. It gives us a responsibility to work for a safer, better, future for everyone. Everyone can step up and use their talents to tackle prejudice, discrimination and intolerance wherever we encounter them.
The UK Holocaust Memorial Day 2021 Ceremony will be streamed online at 7pm on 27 January. This will be our first fully digital ceremony.
At the end of the ceremony, join the nation and Light the darkness. Light a candle and put it in your window at 8pm on 27 January. To remember those who were murdered for who they were. To stand against prejudice today.
Why no share on social media that you are taking part in our Light the darkness national moment. You can download our Light the darkness films to share here, or download Light the darkness social media graphics below:
Here is a template tweet you can use on 27 January:
Today is Holocaust Memorial Day, and I will be lighting a candle and safely placing it in my window at 8pm. To remember those who were murdered for who they were and to stand against prejudice and hatred today. #LightTheDarkness #HolocaustMemorialDay @HMD_UK
When you light your candle, take a photo and share it on social media with the hashtags #HolocaustMemorialDay and #LightTheDarkness
Organise an online activity
Explore our HMD Together resources for ideas, advice and guidance on how to mark HMD together online. Suggested activities include book clubs, cook-alongs, group poetry writing and online ceremonies. Each of these activities can be taken part in as a group from the safety of your own home.
Alternatively, visit our online map to find HMD activities happening across the UK, many of which will be online.
Join the conversation about HMD on social media
Tweet and post on Facebook to show how you will mark HMD and share photos of your activity when it happens.
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook and share our content to enable more people to learn about the Holocaust, Nazi Persecution and more recent genocides.
Social media can be a fantastic way of raising awareness of HMD, but must be used carefully. Please ensure that your use of social media is sensitive and respectful at all times, including your use of images.
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.
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.”
‘absolutely no place for bigotry and prejudice in Scotland’ – DFM John Swinney
Deputy First Minister John Swinney has warned of the dangers of denying fundamental human freedoms and allowing bigotry and intolerance to flourish. Mr Swinney’s comments came at Scotland’s national event to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, at Bishopbriggs Academy.
Speaking ahead of the commemoration, the Deputy First Minister said: “Eleven million lives were extinguished during the Holocaust, the equivalent of twice the population of Scotland. Since then human rights have been denied and atrocities have been committed in places across the world, including Rwanda, Srebrenica and Darfur.
“Such tragedies are the consequence of the denial of basic human rights and freedoms. We must never forget the Holocaust as an example of what human beings can do when fundamental human rights are abandoned, and bigotry and intolerance are allowed to flourish.
“There is absolutely no place for bigotry and prejudice in Scotland and the Scottish Government is committed to doing all that we can to prevent and eradicate hate crime and intolerance.
“Later this year, I intend to accompany a school visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau through the Lessons from Auschwitz Project. It is only through learning the lessons of the past that we can create a future in which all our communities can prosper together in peace.”
Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, reflects that it is important to remember and educate future generations on the Holocaust’s causes.
He said: “Today we mark Holocaust Memorial Day, the date to mark the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp. This year’s theme, ‘how can life go on?’, encourages us to pause and reflect, not only on the terrible truth of the Holocaust, and the innocent lives that were so cruelly wiped out, but to also to draw inspiration from the survivors, who found strength and courage to carry on.
“It is important that survivor stories are heard. And as time goes by, it becomes ever more important that we listen, learn, remember, and educate future generations about the causes of the Holocaust, in particular antisemitism. Sadly, this remains an ever-present concern today. We will continue to tackle it head on wherever it is found and stand with our Jewish friends and neighbours around the world in defence of their right to live free from hatred and prejudice.
“The UK Government is committed to strengthening international collaboration to promote Holocaust education, remembrance and research. We will continue to honour this commitment, not only through our work with international partners, but also with civil society organisations who are dedicated to these efforts. Together we can put the lessons into practice and so educate the next generation that anti-semitic prejudice is consigned to the past.”
How can life go on?is the theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2017.
The aftermath of the Holocaust and of subsequent genocides continues to raise challenging questions for individuals, communities and nations. HMD 2017 asks audiences to think about what happens after genocide and of our own responsibilities in the wake of such a crime. This year’s theme is broad and open ended, there are few known answers.
Author and survivor of the Holocaust Elie Wiesel has said:
‘For the survivor death is not the problem. Death was an everyday occurrence. We learned to live with Death. The problem is to adjust to life, to living. You must teach us about living.’
Trauma and coming to terms with the past: The theme will ask audiences to consider how individuals and nations who have survived the horrors of genocide can begin to come to terms with the trauma and their past.
Displacement and refugees: Times of genocide are always times of acute social upheaval; tens of thousands, sometimes millions, of people are forced from or flee their homes. The question of how life can go on is bound up with where it goes on.
Justice: Some claim there is no such thing as justice after genocide. The theme will encourage thinking about what the concept of justice means and who gets to decide what form it takes.
Rebuilding communities: Genocide destroys and divides communities. The theme will challenge people to think about how communities can rebuild when whole sections are missing or when survivors and perpetrators live side-by-side
Reconciliation and forgiveness: Is true reconciliation and forgiveness possible or even desirable? The theme will explore attitudes towards forgiveness.
Remembering: The theme asks the questions: Why is remembering important to helping life go on? How do we remember when there is nobody left to tell the story?
Facing hate – denial and trivialisation: Denial is the final stage of genocide. The theme will call on everybody to fight denial and ask the question of how life can go on after the Holocaust and genocide whilst denial and trivialisation exist.
Facing hate – today: Antisemitism and other forms of hate continue today. The theme will help people to consider individual, organisational, community and governmental responsibilities for protecting the rights of marginalised communities.
Teach us about living: Everyone will be asked the question: ‘what can you do to help those who have survived genocide, as well as all those from persecuted groups ensure that life goes on?’
Don’t stand by is the theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2016.
The Holocaust and subsequent genocides took place because the local populations allowed insidious persecution to take root. Whilst some actively supported or facilitated state policies of persecution, the vast majority stood by silently – at best, afraid to speak out; at worst, indifferent. Bystanders enabled the Holocaust, Nazi Persecution and subsequent genocides.
Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel has written powerfully about the impact of bystanders:
“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor,never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
You can find out more about 2016’s theme in HMD’s theme vision.
‘we must fight prejudice and discrimination in our own society from wherever it comes’ – Mark Lazarowicz MP
Local MP Mark Lazarowicz has issued a renewed call to reject prejudice and intolerance. His message comes on Holocaust Memorial Day, which this year marks the 70thanniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
The North & Leith MP said: “I have visited Auschwitz myself and seen the collections of hair, teeth and shoes taken from victims after being transported in cattle trucks to be systematically murdered, starved through slave labour, subject to medical experiments, as if their lives had no value.
“Nazism sought to persecute and murder people on the basis of religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political allegiance or disability: to deny the common humanity that unites us.
“The recent horrific events in Paris underline the continuing relevance of Holocaust Memorial Day. The vast numbers in France who marched against intolerance was inspiring and I was moved to stand with French people in the UK at a demonstration in solidarity with the victims and their families.
“Edinburgh, like the rest of the UK, is home to people from so many different countries, religions and ethnic backgrounds and is the stronger for it: we must fight prejudice and discrimination in our own society from wherever it comes.”
Amongst other activities today in Edinburgh, there will be events throughout on the different campuses of Edinburgh College, to mark Holocaust Memorial Day including small displays, a candle lighting ceremony and short films about survivors’ stories.
Between 1941 and 1945, the Nazis attempted to annihilate all of Europe’s Jews. This systematic and planned attempt to murder European Jewry is known as the Holocaust (The Shoah in Hebrew).
From the time they assumed power in 1933, the Nazis used propaganda, persecution and legislation to deny human and civil rights to Jews, using centuries of anti-semitism as their foundation.
By the end of the Holocaust, six million Jewish men, women and children had perished in ghettos, mass-shootings, in concentration camps and extermination camps.
Today, we remember them and the millions of human beings who have died in subsequent atrocities all over the ‘civilised’ world: Rwanda, Darfur, Cambodia, Bosnia …
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg:
Last week, I was privileged to sit down and talk with one of the bravest, most remarkable people I’ve ever met – Zigi Shipper. Zigi was just 11 years old when he first escaped deportation from the Lodz ghetto where he’d been living with his paternal grandparents. When the ghetto was liquidated in 1944, Zigi and his grandmother were rounded up and taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau. His grandfather had already died of starvation.
By the time he was 16, Zigi had witnessed and experienced unimaginable horrors. But, despite it all, his story is one of true courage and hope. As a Holocaust survivor, Zigi has dedicated his time to ensuring that the millions of Jewish people who were persecuted and killed by the Nazi regime are never forgotten.
Now 85, Zigi travels to schools to tell children and young people across the country his story. I met him with 2 dedicated, young Ambassadors of the Holocaust Educational Trust, who took part in a visit I made to Auschwitz-Birkenau in 2012.
Learning about the Holocaust is not just a history lesson. It is one of the most powerful antidotes we have to anti-Semitism and extremism whenever and wherever it may occur. And, we all have a responsibility to ensure that the testimonies of Zigi and other survivors of the Holocaust continue to be told for generations to come.
This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and 20 years since the genocide in Sbreneicia in Bosnia.
So, on this day and in the weeks, months and years that follow, please take a moment to remember the victims of the Holocaust and all subsequent genocides. Together, we can honour their memory in the best way possible – fighting hatred and ensuring their voices live on.
Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister
David Berger (circled, above) was born in 1915 in Przemysl, south-east Poland. He left his hometown when the Germans invaded in 1939 and was shot dead in Vilnius, Lithuania two years later in 1941 at just 19 years of age:
‘If something happens, I would want there to be somebody who would remember that someone named D. Berger had once lived. This will make things easier for me in the difficult moments.’
