This week, the National Assembly for Wales will be marking Holocaust Memorial Day, which takes place on the 27th of January each year. It is coordinated by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, the charity established and funded by the UK Government to promote and support Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) in the UK.
Marking Holocaust Memorial Day
Holocaust Memorial Day is a time to remember the millions of people whose lives were taken as a part of the Holocaust during World War II, and further genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. The 27th of January was the day that Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland, the largest of the concentration camps operated by the Nazi party, was liberated.
This year, Holocaust Memorial Day also marks the 25th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide, and the 40th anniversary of the end of the Cambodian Genocide.
Holocaust Memorial Day offers the chance to honour the survivors of these events, learning lessons from their experiences to influence our society today. With roots that begin in hatred, discrimination and racism, these are events can be prevented, with much work still to do to ensure a safer future for all. Holocaust Memorial Day provides the chance to begin this work.
Torn From Home
The theme of this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is ‘Torn From Home’. Home has many meanings for those affected by these events, and losing a place to call ‘home’ is one of the ways devastating effects that genocide and persecution can have on individuals, communities and families.
This year’s theme calls on people to reflect on the consequences that being ‘torn from home’ can have on those affected, as well as the struggles faced when trying to return home, or build new lives and homes, after the events are over.
“We should never forget the horrors of Holocaust”
This week, Assembly Members and staff gathered on the steps of the Senedd to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. Dawn Bowden AM’s 90 Second Statement highlighted the efforts of those from a Merthyr Tydfil community, who this week gathered to mark the completion of a Holocaust memorial garden, with help from the Holocaust Memorial Trust, explaining that what started as an initiative by a community and volunteers is a part of the international effort of remembrance, research and education around Holocaust. She stated that “we should never forget the horrors of Holocaust, and we should use this time to reflect on conditions that allowed such barbaric acts to incur.”
The National Assembly for Wales is an inclusive organisation, where our employment opportunities are open to all and where the people of Wales can actively engage in our work. By marking days like Holocaust Memorial Day, we are inspired to continue to build diversity and inclusion into everything we do. Find out more about our work on our website.
You can find out more about the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust at www.hmd.org.uk.