Holocaust Memorial Day marks 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp
This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day marks 80 years to the day since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
Over 1 million people were killed in Auschwitz-Birkenau, to most of whom were jews, murdered as part of the genocide committed by the Nazis.
This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the Bosnian genocide, which remains the largest mass murder in Europe since World War 2.
As part of this act of remembrance, the city will reflect on the genocide committed against the Roma people by the Nazis during World War 2, and the mass murder of other groups of people whom the Nazis persecuted, as well as other genocides that have taken place more recently including in Cambodia and Darfur.
To highlight these historic anniversaries, Sheffield City Council have organised an event taking place for Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday 27 January, which will be focused on this year’s theme of ‘for a brighter future’.
This event will be taking place in Cutlers Hall between 5.30pm-7pm, with a series of speeches and readings, civic speakers and community speakers the Jewish and other communities and is open for all to attend. There will also be a period of silence and the statement of commitment for Holocaust Memorial Day will be read out.
Leader of Sheffield City Council, Cllr Tom Hunt, said:
“Holocaust Memorial Day gives us the opportunity to come together to remember the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides, who faced unimaginable atrocities.
“It is a moment to renew our commitment to speak out against the denial and distortion of the Holocaust and genocide, to protect the vulnerable and to stand up to injustice and hate.
“Learning from and about the Holocaust and more recent genocides is vitally important as we strive to do all we can to ensure our future is free from oppression, hatred, racism and persecution.”
The Lord Mayor, Cllr Jayne Dunn, will be attending this event alongside Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Fran Belbin, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Cllr Shaffaq Mohammed, and the Leader of the Green Party, Cllr Douglas Johnson.
Alongside this event, Sheffield City Council have contributed to the ‘80 Candles for 80 Years’, a special nationwide arts and education project launched by Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.
The Trust plans to hold a digital exhibition of 80 bespoke candleholders designed and created by communities and organisations from across the UK that highlight the life of an individual or a community persecuted by the Nazis.
Our candleholder was designed following two workshops facilitated by Ignite Imaginations with members of the Reform Jewish Congregation and Muslim members of the Dialogue Society, who came together to develop ideas for the candleholder.
During the workshops and afterwards, there was a strong view that the Sheffield Candleholder should also be telling the story of the unknown people who were murdered, as no one should ever be forgotten.
The digital exhibition is being launched with a film that will be premiered at the UK HMD ceremony in central London on 27 January 2025 to a live audience. Following a grant from The Claims Conference, the project now will include a touring exhibition across the UK from March 2025.