Holocaust Memorial Week

By Rita Flores

The University of Essex hosts a Holocaust Memorial week full of powerful events to celebrate and remember the marking of 78 years since the liberation of Auschwitz.

Since 2007 the university commemorates Holocaust Memorial Day with activities and celebrations that take place around the anniversary of the Soviet troops liberating the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp.

The week started off with a lantern-making workshop led by Iris and Tom that was staged ahead of the Procession of Light at the Art Exchange.

Students and staff walked around campus with their lanterns and candles in the cold and rain of the evening to provide a symbolic light to the victims of the Holocaust and other genocides.

The walk was accompanied by beautiful music from the Don Kipper Quartet, followed up with the reading of a poem by Dr Marion de Vooght and a moment of reflection.

The night ended at the Lakeside Theatre with a concert by Don Kipper Quartet with Roma and Eastern European Jewish music.

On the 27th of January, the Holocaust Memorial Day, people gathered to read the names of some of the victims of this genocide as the atmosphere around Squares got heavier and heavier.

“Every name we read out represents the many whose names we don’t know,”

“Today is Holocaust Memorial Day and we want to remember those who perished and suffered not only in the Holocaust but in all the genocides that have occurred and are still happening in the world.”

Were the words said before the long list of victims.

The Holocaust Memorial Week is to remember of the millions of Jewish people killed and other victims of Nazi persecution. It’s a way of looking at what happened and taking it as a lesson. An opportunity to look at the human rights issues and discrimination that still exists today and prevent other genocides.

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