Southwark pauses for thought on Holocaust Memorial Day
Published 19 January 2011
The Mayor of Southwark, Councillor Tayo Situ, will lead civic and diplomatic dignitaries, as well as members of the community, in an act of remembrance for Holocaust Memorial Day.
This year's theme is Untold Stories and will feature presentations by pupils of St Saviour's & St Olave's School, New Kent Road, and The Globe Academy, Harper Road, who have been working with the Anne Frank Trust.
The ceremony will begin with the showing of a short film, "Learning The Lessons of The Past", narrated by Oscar nominee, Imelda Staunton OBE.
The event is open to all, with refreshments served from 1030am, followed by the memorial service at 11am and wreath laying afterwards at The Holocaust Memorial Tree and The Soviet War Memorial.
Background information
Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) has been marked in the UK since 2001 and the United Nations declared this an International event in November 2005. 27 January was chosen as the date for HMD because it was on this date in 1945 that the largest Nazi killing camp Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated.
HMD is about remembering the victims and those whose lives have been changed beyond recognition by the Holocaust, Nazi persecution, and subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and the ongoing atrocities today in Darfur.
HMD provides us with an opportunity to honour the survivors but it’s also a chance to look to our own lives and communities today. Genocide doesn’t happen overnight, it’s a gradual process which begins when the differences between us are not celebrated but used as a reason to exclude or marginalise. By learning from the lessons of the past, we can create a safer, better future.
Southwark's observance of Holocaust Memorial Day is led by The Mayor of Southwark's Office and the council's community engagement division, working in partnership with The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, The Imperial War Museum, The Soviet Memorial Trust Fund, and The Anne Frank Trust.
