UK
Holocaust Memorial Day 2021 – be the light in the darkness
Birmingham’s annual commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day will be hosted online for the first time, due to the ongoing pandemic, next week.
The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Cllr Mohammed Azim, will lead the virtual event on Wednesday (27 January) which this year calls for people to ‘be the light in the darkness’.
Holocaust Memorial Day commemorates the victims and survivors of the Holocaust and Nazi persecutions, as well as other genocides around the world.
Be the light in the darkness is the theme for this year’s event – which will be streamed via the city council’s Facebook and Twitter accounts – and encourages everyone to reflect on the depths humanity can sink to, but also how individuals and communities resisted that darkness to ‘be the light’ before, during and after genocide.
This year’s programme will feature a virtual candle-lighting ceremony as well as testimony from Mindu Hornick MBE, who will talk about her experiences as a Holocaust survivor, plus performances from violinist Simone Schehtman and Birmingham’s Young Poet Laureate Fatma Mohiuddin.
Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Cllr Mohammed Azim, said: “Holocaust Memorial Day is an opportunity for everyone to pause, reflect and learn lessons from the past and apply them to the present day, to create a safer, better future.
“This year we have come together virtually to light a candle, to remember victims of atrocities and genocides around the world, as well as those who are still sadly losing their lives through war, conflict and hate crime. I hope as many people as possible will join us in this virtual act of remembrance on 27 January.”
Cllr John Cotton, Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, Community Safety and Equalities at Birmingham City Council, will close the event with a short speech.
The city’s commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day will be streamed on Twitter @bhamcitycouncil and Facebook @birminghamcitycouncil at 2pm on 27 January 2021.
The pre-recorded event will also be available on the council’s YouTube channel.
For more information about Holocaust Memorial Day, please visit: www.hmd.org.uk
