Barnet (Parliament politics magazine) – Barnet’s multifaith community marks Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) at Middlesex University on January 26, 2025, honoring victims of the Holocaust and genocides.
The HMD this year marked the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia as well as the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the biggest of the Nazi concentration camps.
Peter Summerfield BEM, whose family managed to flee Nazi Berlin just four days before war was declared, was one of the speakers at this year’s service. He stated,
“As the fight against religious and racial intolerance becomes increasingly vital, it is very encouraging to see that Barnet continues to annually commemorate and educate everyone of the dangers of racism which led to persecution and to genocide.”
Holocaust survivor Vera Schaufeld MBE attended this year’s anniversary as well and lit the memorial candle during the event.
The beginning of Vera’s youth was in pre-war Czechoslovakia; in 1939, at the age of nine, she was one of the children brought to Britain by Sir Nicholas Winton, who was a humanitarian and helped many refugee children.
After coming to the UK, Vera kept in touch with her family, but she eventually found out that they had all been murdered in concentration camps. Vera began training as an English teacher after the war ended, and she still tells her experience today when she speaks at various gatherings, including government agencies and big business establishments.
All attendees were welcomed to the service by the Honourable Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Tony Vourou. He stated:
“Holocaust Memorial Day gives us an opportunity to reflect on the atrocities of the past and the devastating effect the Holocaust and genocide has had on individuals and families across the world, as well as those living in our borough.
I am very grateful to Middlesex University for once again hosting this year’s commemoration at this marvelous venue and enabling us to come together to remember and honour their memories. Their stories must never be forgotten.”
What are the key details of the Holocaust Memorable Day event?
A Holocaust Memorable Day at Middlesex University was attended by 200 attendees .
The service commenced at 2.00 pm, and the guest were seated by 1.45 pm.
The community’s dedication to inclusivity and retrieving was demonstrated by the free event that was accessible to all.
Public transport, such as buses and the Hendon Central tube station, was easily accessible from the Middlesex University campus.
Kurt Marx, a 96-year-old Holocaust survivor who fled Nazi-occupied Germany at the age of 13 as one of over 10,000 children sent to Britain as part of the Kindertransport rescue mission, was among the speakers.
Professor Nic Beech, the Vice-Chancellor of Middlesex University, who opened the event, said:
“We are a global community of more than 44,000 scholars who are highly diverse in our faiths, races, ethnicities and backgrounds.
Understanding and learning from each other is central to our purpose here at Middlesex University.
As part of the Barnet community we were honoured to host this event which fostered and amplified learning and the memories of the six million innocent people murdered in the Nazi regime of World War Two and those who have suffered in subsequent genocides.”
This autumn, East Barnet School students were chosen to participate in the Lessons from Auschwitz Project, which is run by the Holocaust Educational Trust. At the memorial, Aoife Pearce and Katie Froget read the Barnet Statement of Commitment and discussed Lessons from Auschwitz.
At the conclusion of the service, kids from Alma Primary read poems, while students from Akiva School distributed snowdrops as part of Barnet’s initiative to plant a snowdrop in remembrance of each of the 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust.
Other speakers included Professor Shân Wareing of Middlesex University, the Leader of the Barnet Council, Cllr Barry Rawlings, and Holocaust survivor Manfred Kalb, who was interviewed by Rabbi Mark Goldsmith.
Cllr Rawlings said:
“It is vital that we commemorate the Holocaust – the attempt to exterminate the Jewish people, as well as other groups such as the Romani. We also reflect on other atrocities of the past such as the genocides in Bosnia, Darfur, Rwanda, and Cambodia, and the devastating effect this has had on individuals and families across the world.
We are extremely fortunate to live in a peaceful and democratic society in this country where diversity strengthens and unites our communities. Holocaust Memorial Day is a special day that reminds us of the importance of tolerance, understanding and consideration for others.”
What was the theme of the Holocaust Memorable event?
HMD thus provided an opportunity for people to come together, to learn from and about the past, and work toward making a better future for all.
The Barnet Band, the Alyth SMG Choir, and the Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue Choir all performed musically.
Rabbi Mark Goldsmith, Senior Rabbi of Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue, said:
“Holocaust Memorial Day chooses a theme each year to unite the learning and commemoration. This year it is ‘for a better future’. Hearing the individual stories of the victims of violence, racism and terror should move us to never accept a future that is blighted by the horror that humans can inflict on each other.
It is not the statistics nor the retelling of the political and social history which led up to the Holocaust which impress however shocking, it is being in a room with a person who can tell you that this is their story, the story of their life and their family. This, as always, is what you will experience at the borough of Barnet Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration.”
Many community members and religious leaders participated in the event, underscoring Barnet’s open and varied approach to Holocaust Memorial Day.
The participation of various religious communities emphasised how important solidarity and common principles are to remembering and growing from past tragedies.