Holocaust Memorial Day
Published: 26 January 2021
Redbridge Council is inviting communities across the borough to join in commemorating victims of persecution at an virtual annual Holocaust Memorial Day event on Wednesday, 27 January at 11am.
Redbridge Council has a long-standing tradition of recognising Holocaust Memorial Day every year, to honour the 6 million Jewish men, women and children murdered during the Holocaust. Holocaust Memorial Day also recognises the horror and brutality of genocides which followed the Holocaust including the genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
During the event, the council will call on local communities to sign an online equality pledge and report any hate crime to the council and the police.
The speakers at the virtual event include:
- Cllr Zulfiqar Hussain - Mayor of Redbridge
- Cllr Jas Athwal - Leader of Redbridge Council
- Wes Streeting – MP for Ilford North
- Sam Tarry – MP for Ilford South
- Iain Duncan Smith – MP for Chingford and Woodford Green
- Local faith leaders
- Young people from Redbridge Schools
- The South West Essex and Settlement Reform Synagogue (SWESRS) choir
Cllr Jas Athwal, Leader of Redbridge Council, said: “Holocaust Memorial Day is our opportunity to remember those who suffered unspeakable horrors at the hands of the brutal Nazi regime and to reflect on what we can do as individuals to drive out hate, racism and antisemitism in all forms.
“Although today we cannot gather at the Holocaust Memorial Garden in Valentines Park as we usually do, we can still take the time to honour all those who lost their lives during the Holocaust. Holocaust Memorial Day empowers us to remember for a purpose, it gives us a responsibility to work for a safer, better future for everyone.
"We can and should all step up and use our voices and our skills to tackle prejudice, discrimination and intolerance wherever we encounter them. This is our responsibility but it is also our great privilege.”
