Chief Rabbi: Holocaust was ‘unique for the expanse and depth of its evil’

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis led commemorations to mark Yom HaShoah with 30 Holocaust survivors at an event at Jewish Care’s Golders Green campus.

He said the Holocaust was unique for the expanse and depth of the evil perpetrated, but that all people needed to learn from it.

The act of standing up for those facing oppression and suffering was especially important, he said, in light of the conflict in Ukraine and the plight of Uyghur Muslims in western China.

It was the first time since 2019 that a national Yom HaShoah ceremony was held in person, after two years of online-only events.

The chief rabbi told the Survivors: “We will continue to hold your flame aloft. We will continue to tell your story.”

Wednesday night’s broadcast, which was also streamed live on social media, was attended by Jewish community leaders as well as Israel’s ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely and Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London.

Alongside the survivors, a choir comprised of children from four different Jewish primary schools – Sacks Morasha, Etz Chaim, Clore Tikva and Wohl Ilford – performed with the Shabbaton Choir, cementing the inter-generational bond of memory.

It was hosted by Jewish Care’s Wohl Campus in Golders Green, which is also the home of the Holocaust Survivors Centre and a residential care home.

Khan said: “The message of Yom HaShoah is that we must never forget and never let it happen again.

“Non-Jewish people must stand shoulder to shoulder with Jewish people, as we see sadly see antisemitism on the rise again, both in the UK and across Europe.”