This week Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment, in doing so pledging his commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day and honouring those who were murdered during the Holocaust as well as paying tribute to the extraordinary Holocaust survivors who work tirelessly to educate young people today.
James also attended Mr Speaker’s Holocaust Memorial Day Ceremony, within Parliament. The ceremony consisted of a number of poignant readings and a candle lighting ceremony.
This year marks 77 years since the liberation of the concentration camps of Europe and the end of the Second World War.
Yesterday, on the 27th January, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, people across the globe remembered.
After signing the Book of Commitment, James commented:
“Holocaust Memorial Day is an important opportunity to reflect on the darkest times of European history. As the Holocaust moves from living history, to history, it becomes ever more important that we take the time to remember the six million Jewish victims and also pay tribute to the survivors.”
Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said:
“As the Holocaust fades from living memory, it falls on all of us to ensure that their stories and the stories of the 6 Jewish million men, women and children brutally murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators, are never forgotten. We all have a duty to remember the Holocaust and to stand up against antisemitism and hate, now more than ever.”
In the lead up to and on Holocaust Memorial Day, thousands of commemorative events were arranged by schools, faith groups and community organisations across the country, remembering all the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides. The theme of this year’s commemorations being ‘One Day’.