Holocaust Memorial Day

This day honours the memory of those who lost their lives in the Holocaust during World War Two and the survivors that bore witness to the horrors that the Jewish people were subjected to.

Who celebrates?

Everyone – it’s a global commemoration day.

How do people celebrate?

• This day focuses on promoting education, remembrance and research to ensure that genocide, ethnic cleansing, racism and anti-Semitism become are part of our past but not our future
• In some cultures a 2 minute silence is held and in many organisations it’s an opportunity to recognise how anti-Semitism shows up in todays culture and how we can combat it.

What should I know?

• The Holocaust museum estimates that 17 million people were murdered: 6 million Jews and 11 million others
• In Hebrew the day is know as Yom HaShoah

How can I support others?

• Be understanding if colleagues choose to take the day off to mourn as they may have family who died during the holocaust
• Ensure your colleagues and people you serve know how to report instances of anti-Semitism if they see it
• Use the additional resources to generate discussion in your team
• Ask people about their faith and whether they’d be willing to share what it means to them
• Familiarise yourself with the diversity of religion in your area and how representative your organisation is of the community you serve

Holocaust Memorial Day resources: https://www.hmd.org.uk/

BBC: holocaust survivor stories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul_sfS8a1Ms

Remembering the Holocaust in the UK: https://www.historytoday.com/archive/holocaust-memorial-day-britain

BBC: What was the holocaust: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/16690175