Govt marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day today
Today marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day and, despite the public event being cancelled due to the pandemic, the Gibraltar Government is raising awareness online.
The Ministry of Equality is encouraging the public to set some time aside to revisit
or familiarise themselves with the story of the Holocaust.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorates the day in 1945 when the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp was liberated by Allied forces at the end of the Second World War.
“It is a day of reflection and a reminder of how we must all remain vigilant and call out racism and anti-semitism whenever we encounter it,” a press statement from No6 Convent Place said.
Anyone wishing to learn more about the Holocaust can do so via the Government of Gibraltar's YouTube channel from their video 'Learning From Auschwitz', delivered by Arek Hersh, a Holocaust survivor and Mike Levy, a Holocaust Education Advisor.
The talk was delivered on December 7, 2017 and organised by the Department of Equality.
The recording has also been shared with Bayside and Westside Schools and the Gibraltar College as an additional resource on the Holocaust which can be accessed by their Year 12 and 13 students.
"Normally every 27th January, HM Government of Gibraltar, together with senior dignitaries and a cross section of the community, stand together at Commonwealth Park, united against anti-semitism and discrimination,” Minister for Equality, Samantha Sacramento, said.
“This year, though we cannot stand together in person, I ask Gibraltarians to unite in spirit and remember the atrocities done to millions of innocent people during the Second World War.”
“It is important that we do so for if we do not acknowledge and condemn what was done in the past, we are bound to repeat the same mistakes in the future.”
“We have seen this happen in other parts of the world since 1945, which is why it is so important to continue to discuss the causes of genocide.”
“Hearing first hand accounts from Mr Arek Hersh, available on the link we have provided or from other sources is the best way to understand the causes and effects of genocide. We organised the recording of Mr Hersh's experience so that future generations will not forget the harrowing experience of the Holocaust."
The recording can be found on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/gqV6hKmsk18.