HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY: Leeds event to shine a light on dark times

The civic commemoration event, marking Holocaust Memorial Day, will feature music from the Clothworkers Consort of the University of Leeds and a performance of ‘Light the Dark’ by the Carriageworks Young Theatre Makers.

Inspired by the testimony of Holocaust survivors, the young actors have created a performance which honours those accounts while offering their personal reflections and responses to this year’s national theme for Holocaust Memorial Day, ‘How can life go on?’

As is tradition for the event, candles will be lit to commemorate all those who have been affected by the Holocaust and more recent genocides in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur.

The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Coun Gerry Harper, who will host the event, said: “Holocaust Memorial Day is a chance for people to come together to remember the Holocaust and also genocides in different parts of the world.

“The theme of ‘How can life go on?’ prompts us to think about what happens after genocide and of our own responsibilities in the wake of such a crime.”

The event, which will also feature a keynote speech by MP for Leeds North East, Fabian Hamilton, will be held at Leeds Town Hall from 2pm.

Members of the public are invited to join the Lord Mayor at the commemoration service, which is coordinated by the council’s Arts Development team and the Holocaust Memorial Day steering group.

HISTORY

Between 1941 and 1945, the Nazis attempted to annihilate all of Europe’s Jews.

This systematic and planned attempt to murder European Jewry is known as the Holocaust.

From the time they assumed power in 1933, the Nazis used propaganda, persecution, and legislation to deny human and civil rights to Jews.

By the end of the Holocaust, six million Jews had perished in ghettos, mass-shootings, in concentration camps and extermination camps.

Holocaust Memorial Day, on January 27, is a day which encourages people to learn from the past in order to create a safer, better future.