Holocaust Memorial Day
This year’s theme was ‘Be the light in the darkness’ perhaps particularly fitting in the light of the current circumstances. The theme explores not only humanity’s darkest moments, but also those who resisted the darkness. People who brought light before, during and after genocide. In fact, the theme is an affirmation and a call to action for everyone marking the day.
We can all stand in solidarity. We can choose to be the light in the darkness in a variety of ways and places – at home, in public, and online.
Holocaust Memorial Day remembers:
- The six million Jewish men, women and children who perished in ghettos, mass-shootings, and concentration and extermination camps.
- Over two hundred thousand Gypsies and Travellers who were also registered, sterilised and then deported to concentration camps.
- The over 200 thousand gay men, lesbians and disabled people and all those who suffered similar fates at the hands of the Nazi regime.
- The victims of the subsequent genocides in Rwanda, Cambodia and in regions like Darfur and Nineveh and in the cities of Srebrenica and Halabja.
Plymouth Memorial Film
Plans to create a reflective and insightful film were made before the third national lockdown began. The first idea was to film with each of the contributors, at a social distance. But when the lockdown commenced at the start of January, we decided to record all the contributions online.
Around a dozen contributors from a wide selection of cultural backgrounds and faiths prepared a short reading on the theme. Before the lockdown began, we were able to film in Plymouth’s synagogue and the Peace Garden on The Hoe. The combination of the powerful words from the contributors and the strong images of Plymouth make a moving tribute to those persecuted.
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