Remembering the Holocaust and genocide

The borough’s annual Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony takes place on Friday 26 January, and will be open to everyone.

HMD is an international event marking the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau on January 27 1945, and other, subsequent, genocides. In remembrance of those fateful events, Croydon will honour the memory of victims with a public candle-lighting ceremony, from noon, in the foyer of Croydon Town Hall in Katharine Street.

The candle-lighting will be followed by presentations in the council chamber, to remember the millions murdered or whose lives have been changed beyond recognition during the Holocaust and in subsequent genocides.

This year’s theme is The Power of Words, exploring how language has been used in the past, and how it is used in the present day. See http://hmd.org.uk/resources/theme-papers/hmd-2018-power-words

Councillor Hamida Ali, cabinet member for communities, safety and justice

“The candle-lighting ceremony, held each year in Croydon, gives us an opportunity to consider how we can stand together to counter intolerance and exclusion today, as we remember the victims of the Holocaust, Rwanda, Srebrenica and other atrocities across the world.

“It honours the memory of the millions worldwide who have lost their lives to genocide, helps unite our borough’s diverse communities, and ensures we play our part in working to prevent such horrors ever being perpetrated again.

“This is a free event and I’d encourage anyone to come along to show their support.”

To support schools with classroom-based projects, an activity pack is available at http://hmd.org.uk/content/order-or-download-activity-pack. In addition, visit https://www.het.org.uk/ to find resources for schools and the wider community.

For further information about Holocaust Memorial Day 2018 or Croydon’s candle-lighting ceremony, email yvonne.gaye@croydon.gov.uk or call 020 8604 7029.

2018-01-19T11:43:21+00:00 January 19th, 2018|Recent news|