Holocaust Memorial Day was commemorated on Thursday 27th January, with this year’s theme ‘One Day’.
The UK Ceremony was streamed live and can be viewed at https://www.hmd.org.uk/ceremony.
Members of our community joined with many others across the UK to ‘Light the Darkness’ by lighting candles and putting them in their windows to:
– remember those who were murdered for who they were
– stand against prejudice and hatred today.
Here in Southport, and with huge thanks to the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in conjunction with AJEX (Southport Branch) and Sefton UNISON, we held a Holocaust Memorial Service, in the presence of the Mayor of Sefton, Cllr Clare Louise Carragher, the High Sheriff of Merseyside, Mr Nigel Lanceley and the Chief Executive of Sefton, Mr Dwayne Johnson.
We were hosted at Christ Church on Lord Street by Rev. Stephen McGanity, who made us very welcome in his beautiful modern church, with appropriate Covid security measures. The Master of Ceremonies was our own member, Michael Braham DL. Michael introduced contributions from Matt Jenkinson from UNISON, Rev. McGanity, Holocaust Fellow Pauline Collier, Imam Soyful Allam and a reflection from Sefton MP, Bill Esterson. Rabbi Moshe Perez was in attendance for the first time at this unique service and read Psalm 82 as well as reciting, El Male Rachamim – the Jewish Memorial Prayer – and the Kaddish.
It was a very moving service, as we remembered the millions of people murdered in the Holocaust under Nazi Persecution – trade unionists, political opponents, disabled people, gay people, the Roma and Sinti communities, as well as the Jews. And we also remembered those who perished in the genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
We pray that there will be no more genocide – ‘one day’.
