Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration

What is Holocaust Memorial Day?

Each year, communities across Britain come together to remember the millions of people killed in the Holocaust, Nazi Persecution and in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur and other parts of the world. The Nazi persecution alone led to the death of some six million Jews.

The initiative is supported by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust who have set the theme for Holocaust Memorial Day in 2015:Keeping the Memory Alive.

The Royal Borough of Kingston’s Holocaust Memorial Day will be held on Sunday 1 February 2015 at 2.30pm in Kingston Guildhall. It is being organised by the Kingston Inter Faith Forum in conjunction with Kingston University.

The event will be opened by Rev Andrew Williams (Kingston University Chaplain), and Rabbi Charley Baginsky (Kingston Liberal Synagogue) will introduce the afternoon on the theme: Keeping the Memory Alive.  There will also be words from Josh Whatsize (Kingston University Student and National Lead for Youth Ambassadors, Holocaust Memorial Day Trust) looking at keeping the memory alive in future generations.  Rabbi Samuel Landau (Kingston, Surbiton and District Synagogue) will introduce the act of commemoration, and light the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust candle which is then passed around.

A choir of children from both Kingston Synagogues will sing, and children from the synagogues will read an adapted Kel Maleh Rachamim prayer of mourning.  Leaders from different faiths will read,

The event is open to all. No booking is required. It will be followed by refreshments.

To help keep the memory of the Holocaust alive, young people living or studying in the Kingston area were invited to submit a piece of art to mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

Selected art works will be displayed from 2pm at the Holocaust Memorial Day event, and the Mayor of Kingston will award prizes to the winners during the event.  The exhibition will then be mounted in public places, education centres and faith-based organisations across the Borough.