Holocaust Memorial Day was on Monday, 27th January. The date signifies the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau – the largest Nazi death camp – and the Day encourages remembrance of the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, the millions of other people killed under Nazi Persecution, and also those who have perished in subsequent genocides since.
I once again signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment in Parliament – as I have done in previous years – and in doing so I pledged my commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day, honouring the millions who were so wickedly and systematically murdered during the Holocaust. I pay tribute to the extraordinary work of those who continue to work tirelessly to educate young people about these horrors.
With rising anti-Semitism in the UK, it is as important as ever to mark this event, and the work of the Holocaust Education Trust is as important now as it has ever been. We must continue to educate people about such horrors to discourage any forms of hate towards groups of people. Education is crucial in ensuring nothing like it ever happens again.
As the Holocaust Educational Trust has pointed out, sadly, on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day, 100-year-old survivor Freddie Knoller BEM passed away – Freddie was a survivor of the French Resistance and Auschwitz-Birkenau, who was liberated by the British Army at Bergen-Belsen. His passing reminds us of the importance of preserving and sharing the testimonies of survivors.
One remarkable way this was done was by HRH The Prince of Wales who commissioned seven portraits of Holocaust survivors to be hung in Buckingham Palace. I would encourage readers to watch the BBC Two programme covering this project, which can be viewed here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0013xhz/survivors-portraits-of-the-holocaust
(Photo Above: Michael Ellis MP signing the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment in Parliament).