Newcastle North MP, Catherine McKinnell, has this week renewed her commitment to marking Holocaust Memorial Day and honouring those who were murdered during the Holocaust, by signing the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment in Parliament.
In doing so, she also paid tribute to the extraordinary Holocaust survivors who work tirelessly to educate young people across the country about one of humanity’s darkest periods.
Since 2001, Holocaust Memorial Day has been held each year on 27th January, commemorating the date of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau – the site of the largest mass murder in history.
In the lead up to, and on Holocaust Memorial Day itself, thousands of events will be arranged by schools, faith groups and community organisations across the UK, remembering the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides across the world.
The theme for this year’s commemoration is ‘Torn from Home’, and details of the Holocaust Memorial Day programme of events taking place in Newcastle can be found here.
After signing the Book of Commitment this week, Catherine said:
‘Holocaust Memorial Day is a really important opportunity for people in Newcastle and across the country to reflect on the devastating events of the Holocaust, and the genocides that have taken place across the world since. As the number of Holocaust survivors still with us sadly continues to fall, it becomes more important than ever before to hear their stories and keep the memory of what they experienced alive.’
Karen Pollock MBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said:
‘The Holocaust did not start in the gas chambers but with hate filled words. Our mission is to educate young people from every background about the Holocaust and its contemporary relevance. We are very grateful to Catherine for signing the Book of Commitment, signalling a continued commitment to remembering the victims of the Holocaust as well as challenging antisemitism, prejudice and bigotry in all its forms.’