Woodside_park Synagogue

Holocaust Memorial Day

The Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks has recorded the following message to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day, which is on 27th January 2012

Holocaust Memorial Day has been held in the UK since 2001 (the United Nations declared this an International event in November 2005). 27 January was chosen as the date for HMD because it was on this date in 1945 that the largest Nazi killing camp Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated.

HMD is about remembering the victims and those whose lives were changed beyond recognition because of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution. It also commemorates subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and the ongoing atrocities today in Darfur. Holocaust Memorial Day provides us with an opportunity to honour the survivors but also offers a chance to look to our own lives and communities today. Genocide doesn't happen overnight, it's a gradual process which begins when the differences between us are not celebrated but used as a reason to exclude or marginalise.

Each year, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (the charity responsible for the annual national commemmoration of Holocaust Memorial Day) announces a theme for HMD which provides a focal point and a shared message for the hundreds of events which take place around the UK. The theme for HMD 2011 is "Untold Stories". Their website www.hmd.org.uk contains a wealth of resources including poetry, survivor testimony, a free Campaign Pack and artwork which provides further information for those wishing to find out more.

Barnet's own Holocaust Memorial Day Event will take place this year on Sunday 22nd January at 1pm at The Ricketts Quadrangle at Middlesex University, The Burroughs, Hendon, NW4 4BT. Entry is free. Further information can be obtained from Barnet Council's web-site:
www.barnet.gov.uk/holocaust

The Jewish Community, whilst marking this date together with the wider community, also marks Yom HaShoah which is commemmorated on the 27th Nissan (This was the date established by the Knesset in1951). Please visit www.yomhashoah.org.uk for further information.

Note about history of Holocaust Memorial Day:

HMD has taken place in the UK since 2001. It was established at a meeting on 27 January 2000, when representatives from forty-four governments around the world met in Stockholm to discuss Holocaust education, remembrance and research. At the conclusion of the forum, the delegates unanimously signed a declaration. This forms the HMD Statement of Commitment which is used a basis for HMD events internationally.

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT) is a national charity formed in 2005. The Trust's purpose is to educate the public about the Holocaust and subsequent genocides; to commemorate the victims and honour the Survivors. The Trust is responsible for the annual, national commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day. They produce free advice and resources for the hundreds of event organisers in the UK who hold events on or around 27 January each year. Through HMD they raise awareness, inform and educate about the Holocaust and its contemporary relevance - especially to issues of racism; prejudice and discrimination. Through this they hope to prompt action in the UK in favour of diversity; equality and harmony between communities.