Commons Speaker hosts moving Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony

The Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle was joined in Parliament by his Norwegian counterpart in lighting candles in memory of the six million Jewish people killed in the Holocaust.

Sir Lindsay and Masud Gharahkhani, President of the Storting of Norway, sat in silence as Mala Tribich MBE told how she and her brother were the only members of her family to survive the Holocaust, following her imprisonment in Ravensbrück and Bergen-Belsen camps.

Holocaust Memorial Day Trust CEO Olivia Marks-Woldman, CEO also spoke movingly to the audience.

In a special ceremony to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, it was also noted it was taking place in the wake of murderous attacks on Jewish people at Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester, and more recently at Bondi Beach.

Mark Levy from Manchester’s Jewish Rep Council was among those to attend the moving event.

In his speech, Mr Speaker said: ‘Eighty years on from the Holocaust, Jewish people around the world are once again being murdered – simply for being Jewish. Antisemitism is not confined to the past.

“This Holocaust Memorial Day reminds us that remembrance alone is not enough.

“At a time when our society can feel increasingly divided, Parliament has a vital role to play in bringing people together – challenging hatred and reaffirming the principles upon which our democracy is built”.

Levy said:” Thank you to the Speaker for hosting this important and timely event, and for referencing the Heaton Park terrorist attack — a powerful reminder that the lessons of the Holocaust remain urgently relevant today.

“We were deeply moved by the powerful and emotional testimony of Holocaust survivor Mala Tribich MBE . Her words underline why remembrance, education, and vigilance matter.”

The exhibition ‘In their Footsteps’ which features at its heart 220 ceramic shoes – each bearing witness to a life cut short during the Holocaust – formed the backdrop of Wednesday’s moving ceremony.

More than 100 people attended the half-hour service – the sixth since Hoyle became Speaker – including his three Deputy Speakers, MPs, the Holocaust Memorial Trust, Holocaust Educational Trust, and members of staff.