The King and other European leaders came together in Poland to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz. The date is recognised internationally as Holocaust Memorial Day.
Family and friends
In Lambeth, Holocaust survivor Paula Zeff was the key speaker at Lambeth’s Holocaust Memorial Day on Sunday 26 January. She spoke about the parents she lost to Auschwitz, the family in Holland who saved her life by Holocaust by taking her in, and the new family she found in England after the war.
Lambeth’s Holocaust Memorial Day
When the Nazis were defeated at the end of WW2, Holocaust survivors, their friends and supporters, worked to spread the message ‘Never again’ – the belief that hate of that kind must never be allowed to return. With anti-semitism, Islamophobia, and extremism on the rise again, Lambeth’s Holocaust Memorial Day event shared the essential message to on remembering, honouring all those lost, and working together for a more inclusive future.
Word from the Leader of the Council
Cllr Claire Holland, the Leader of Lambeth Council, thanked Paula, the other speakers and musicians from local schools, Louise Freedman and Rabbi Nathan Godleman from Lambeth Holocaust Memorial Planning Group for organising the event, the Lambeth Faith and Community groups, and the police and local schools who came together to remember the injustices of the past and work together to prevent new ones.
Mayor of Lambeth, Cllr JP Ennis, lights the memorial candle for World Holocaust Day
Cllr Holland said: “Together, we remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, all victims of Nazis, and the those lost to genocide in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur. To build a better future we have to learn about, and from, the past.
“In Lambeth, we are proud of the diversity of our communities and the way we welcome people of every background and heritage. In 2022 we were incredibly proud to become a Borough of Sanctuary, welcoming all those who come to Lambeth. Events like this reinforce our commitment to actively promoting an inclusive community.”
Past, present and future
The theme of this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day was ‘for a better future’, and songs including ‘Over the Rainbow’ from Corpus Christi primary school and readings including ‘We remember them’ from pupils at Dunraven Secondary showed the messages of remembrance and hope still matter to young people.
(photogrpahs by Nick Wright)
