Chance to commemorate those who suffered during the Holocaust
Saturday January 27 is Holocaust Memorial Day - a chance to commemorate those who suffered during the Holocaust and Nazi persecution, and to show that the Holocaust still has relevance to everyone in the UK today.
The day provides a focus - through national and local events and activities - for people to think about the continuing repercussions of the Holocaust and more recent genocides on our society.
The main focus for Holocaust Memorial Day remains the Holocaust itself, where millions were killed in the pursuit of “racial purity”, but it is also an opportunity to reflect on more recent atrocities that raise similar issues.
The tragedies of Rwanda, Kosovo, Darfur and other terrible events in the world show that there are still many lessons to be learnt, both internationally and individually.
In the Hounslow a ceremony will be held on Thursday, 25 January at the Civic Centre.
The Mayor of Hounslow, Cllr Felicity Barwood, said “Holocaust Memorial Day not only reminds us about the horrors of the past, but challenges us to look forward and commit ourselves to a future where everyone can live free from persecution, free from oppression and free from the shadow of fear cast by those who use their strength to intimidate.
“Alongside this we have our unspoken promise to live our lives so that those who lost theirs might know they taught us the true value of what we can easily take for granted.
“In Hounslow we know that there is far more that unites us than divides us, and by coming together as one community, with respect for each others ideas and beliefs, we can be confident that we are passing on the lessons that the Holocaust taught us.”
Every year Holocaust Memorial Day has a different theme. This provides a focus for events and education in local and national commemorations. In 2007, the theme is “The Dignity of Difference”.
In line with this part of the focus of the ceremony is the persecution and genocide of the Gypsy communities.
The Porrajamos, the Romany word for the Holocaust, which means, “the Great Devouring,” affected the Roma, Sinti and Kale Gypsy communities of Europe. These groups were murdered because of their ethnic identity. The traditional ways in which the Roma remember their history has meant the persecution of these groups has not been so well known.
Hounslow Traveller Education Service is encouraging public reflection and remembrance with a short presentation during the ceremony which uses the theme to allow the Roma, and all members of Traveller communities, to share their experiences.
The ceremony will also include contributions from local young people and musicians, as well as a specially commissioned film from the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. Following the ceremony, the Mayor will lay a special wreath at the Memorial Tree in the Civic Centre.
Manjeet Johal, Youth Officer said “Local young people have been working on various performances for the day and will contribute with poetry, MCing and presentations on the issues faced by people with disabilities, who were persecuted by the Nazi’s.
“Holocaust Memorial Day gives us the opportunity to remember all those that lost their lives but is also a time to be mindful of current atrocities.
“It is imperative that we engage young people in such memorials in order that that both learn from the past and help shape the future.”
January 18, 2007