Eric Pickles presents medal to Yad Vashem

On a visit to Israel this week, senior minister Eric Pickles has presented Yad Vashem with a medal given to British citizens who have saved Jewish people and others from the Holocaust.

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government said he was “deeply honoured” to meet survivors at a dedicated centre in Migdal Ha Emek and lay a wreath of remembrance at Israel’s memorial to the victims.

Ahead of presenting the ‘British Heroes of the Holocaust’ medal, Mr Pickles said: “Visiting Yad Vashem was a profound and deeply moving experience.”

He added: “The memorial is a perpetual and fitting reminder of the pain and destructive force of hate.

“I was deeply honoured to meet some Holocaust survivors and hear first-hand some of their incredible stories. They are amazing people. It is essential we never forget and that we learn the lessons of the Holocaust.”