Jacqui Smith
MP commits to safeguard
the legacy of
Holocaust
Survivors
27 January
2010
Today Jacqui Smith MP pledged
her commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day by signing a Book of
Commitment in the House of Commons to honour those who perished in
the Holocaust. And on Saturday, Jacqui will join the annual
Redditch Holocaust Memorial Day event walking from the Town Hall to
Worcester Square in the Kingfisher Centre.
With 27th January
marking the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the
Nazi concentration and extermination camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, the
Holocaust Educational Trust placed a Book of Commitment in the
House of Commons to give MPs the opportunity to remember those who
were persecuted and murdered during the Holocaust - and to support
a ‘Legacy of Hope’, learning from Survivors’ experiences to help
create a future free from hatred and prejudice.
In doing so, Jacqui paid
tribute to those remarkable individuals who survived the appalling
events of the Holocaust and have since dedicated their lives to
educating younger generations about the dangers of allowing
persecution and intolerance to take hold in society.
On and around Holocaust
Memorial Day, schools, local communities and faith groups from
across the UK will join together to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
Thousands of events are being held across the country to
commemorate all those who suffered at the hands of the Nazis during
the Holocaust and in subsequent genocides. The aim of the day is to
motivate people – individually and collectively, to ensure that the
horrendous crimes, racism and victimisation committed during the
Holocaust and subsequent genocides are neither forgotten nor
repeated. This year is the
ninth year that Holocaust Memorial Day has been commemorated in the
UK.
Jacqui
said:
“Holocaust Survivors are extraordinary people. We have a duty to
them to pass on the lessons of the Holocaust to future generations.
Holocaust Memorial Day gives us an opportunity to reflect on the
legacy of Holocaust Survivors, to commemorate the millions who died
under Hitler’s regime and to commit to a future free from racism
and discrimination.”
Karen
Pollock, Chief Executive of the
Holocaust Educational Trust said:
“We are delighted that Jacqui Smith is supporting Holocaust
Memorial Day. Remembering and learning about the Holocaust is more
important now than ever before. This year’s theme,
‘The Legacy of
Hope’ highlights the important role young people have to play in
taking the Survivors’ mantle forward and educating their peers
about the Holocaust."
Jacqui signs the book of
commitment
To contact Jacqui about this
article, please email her at smithjj@parliament.co.uk
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