News / history
Holocaust Memorial Day: ‘An incredibly emotional and thought-provoking ocassion’
Monday marked 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp.
The UK has commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day on this day, January 27, since 2001, and this year was no different.
Holocaust Memorial Day is a nationwide event that sees communities across the country gather to remember those who were killed in the Holocaust, as well as those killed in other genocides including Rwanda, Cambodia and Bosnia.
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During the Holocaust six million Jewish people were killed, as well as millions of others who were persecuted because of their sexuality, disability or ethnicity.
This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day theme was ‘for a better future’.
In Bristol, there has been an annual Holocaust Memorial Day event at City Hall for over a decade.
This year’s event featured four keynote speakers.
Jeanette Marx shared the survival story of her mother, Mascha Nachmansson, who was born in Łódź, Poland, in 1920 and later taken to Auschwitz.
Ella Garai-Ebner shared the story of her grandfather, Dr George Garai, who began a new life for himself in England after being liberated from the Gunskirchen concentration camp in Austria.
Una Srabovic-Ryan spoke about the Bosnian genocide, which ended 30 years ago in 1995, and how she was placed for adoption after her father was murdered.
And Elinor Beard, a teenager, spoke about importance of never forgetting the atrocities of the past.
The event at City Hall was also attended by deputy lord mayor Paul Goggin and metro mayor Dan Norris as well as several multi-faith leaders.
On the event, Oren Adani, the chair of the Bristol Holocaust Memorial Day steering group, said:
“[It] was an incredibly emotional and thought-provoking occasion. As chairman, I was deeply moved by the powerful stories shared and the overwhelming sense of unity among attendees.
“This event would not have been possible without the incredible dedication of our volunteers who make up the committee, they worked tirelessly to ensure the day was both meaningful and impactful.
“In the UK today, we are witnessing a worrying rise in antisemitism.
“Disturbingly, we see echoes of the rhetoric and actions of the 1930s creeping into our society. Unintentional as they may seem, they mirror the prejudices and behaviours that paved the way for the Holocaust.
“As Ian Kershaw so powerfully put it, ‘the road to Auschwitz was built by hate, but paved with indifference’. It is a stark reminder of the dangers of complacency and the need for vigilance, education, and active opposition to hatred in all its forms.”
Main photo: Lord Mayor of Bristol
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