Pain and emotion runs through national Holocaust Memorial Day event

What may be one of the last gatherings of survivors joined political, civic and faith leaders on Tuesday to mark this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day, the national commemoration of the mass murder of six million Jews at the hands of the Nazis. 

The hour-long event, hosted by BBC broadcaster Clive Myrie, featured both the Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, and the Archbishop of Canterbury-elect, Dame Sarah Mullally, presently Bishop of London.

Rabbi Daniel Walker, minister of Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester, which suffered a terror attack on Yom Kippur last year, shared a platform with Joseph Knowles, a Next Gen ambassador for the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, who spoke openly of his experience as a gay man, which had led to his passion to speak about the persecution of gay people during the Holocaust.

Actor Matt Lucas gave a reading from the work of Pierre Seel (I, Pierre Seel, Deported Homosexual; A Memoir of Nazi Terror), while actress Louisa Clein, whose mother survived the Holocaust, recited the poem, The Dream, by Avraham Koplowicz.

Many politicians were present at the Sinfonia Smith Square venue, including Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy, Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch, former Home Secretary Priti Patel, and Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn.

Both Sir Sajid Javid, chair of HMDT, and Communities Secretary Steve Reed MP, spoke of the dangers facing the Jewish community in the current unprecedented rise of antisemitism, making it all the more important to listen to survivors while it was still possible. Mr Reed paid particular tribute to Mala Tribich, now 96, who earlier in the day had been the first survivor to address the Cabinet. He added: “There are six million Jewish voices calling to us” — that their lives and stories should never be forgotten.

But the event clearly belonged to three brave survivors who were filmed talking to young people about their lives before and during the Holocaust — Peter Lantos, Henny Franks, and Agnes Kaposi. The students were undoubtedly shocked by what they heard — one said later that it had enabled her to put a human aspect on what had previously been dates and statistics.

And Cantor Jonny Turgel, grandson of survivors on both sides of his family, sang the El Maale Rachamim prayer, including the names of many of the most notorious death camps. His delivery brought many in the audience to tears.

A musical group, Electric Umbrella, which is dedicated to employing disabled and neurodivergent people, sang a song written for them — Tikkun Olam, or “repairing the world”. And a representative of the Roma community, David Balog, sang “There is a big building in Auschwitz” to remind listeners of the murder of so many of his people.

Six candles were lit by Holocaust survivors, together with survivors from genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. They were joined by Next Gen Ambassadors from the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and other members of the second and third generations.

Olivia Marks-Woldman, chief executive of HMDT, said: “Holocaust Memorial Day brings communities together from across the UK in collective remembrance and reflection. Prejudice still continues today within our communities and around the world, and this national day is an important reminder of where it can lead.

“As we grow more distant in time from the Holocaust, and we are able to hear first-hand the histories of fewer and fewer survivors, the responsibility to remember becomes more important than ever. This year’s theme, Bridging Generations, highlights the crucial role of younger generations in remembering the past to protect the future.”

Later in the evening, the Light the Darkness national moment was due to take place live around the UK, with landmarks and iconic buildings lighting up in purple as a sign of remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust, and to symbolise standing united against prejudice and hatred today. People were also encouraged to light a candle at home. The King and Queen lit their own candles on Tuesday morning.