Holocaust Memorial Day, the 80^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and the arrival of the Kindertransport to Lowestoft marked in Lowestoft

On Monday 27^th January, an overwhelming number of people gathered at events across Lowestoft to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day.

Three poignant events took place throughout the day, organised by Lowestoft Town Council and supported by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, to make this year’s commemorations the largest yet. 

This year’s events saw contributions from Professor Lawrence Goldman (representing Norwich Synagogue), Ormiston Denes Academy, Benjamin Britten High School, East Point Academy and Red Oak Primary School with music from Da Marjanbo, a Hebrew four-piece instrumental band.  Support for the events was also provided by the three venues (East Coast Cinema, Lowestoft Railway Station, Kensington Gardens Café and the Friends of Kensington Gardens), and East Suffolk Lines with their discounted travel fares.

A spokesperson for Lowestoft Town Council said “Lowestoft Town Council would like to thank everyone who came along and contributed to our Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations.  This is a significant event in our calendar that has grown since the Town Council started leading the event eight years ago.

"With this year’s events receiving more national coverage in part due to the 80^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the planning for our events in Lowestoft have been a long time in the making as we aimed to make this poignant event inclusive.  We are very pleased with the turn out this year as we expanded our number of events to give more opportunities for local people to gather and reflect.”

Each element of this year’s commemoration had its own focus with the main event taking place at East Coast Cinema.  Here the audience reflected on the Holocaust with Professor Lawrence Goldman delivering a moving story of Miriam, a relative of Professor Goldman’s who escaped from Poland to Jamaica due to the persecution of Jewish people in Auschwitz.  Da Marjanbo followed this, providing emotive music, welcoming the chance to express a range of Hebrew prayers through instrumental music.  The event then moved to Lowestoft Railway Station where reflections and poems to remember Lowestoft’s link to the Kindertransport were read and wreathes were laid.  In the afternoon, Kensington Gardens hosted an event where Red Oak Primary school children read out personal reflections and placed 80 decoration candles around the Holocaust Memorial flower bed.  Each candle marked the 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Later at 8pm, local people were encouraged by the Town Council to join with the nation in lighting a candle and placing it in their window as part of the “Light the Darkness” campaign.

The Mayor, Cllr Nasima Begum, expressed thanks to all who had attended. She said “the Town Council has worked hard to make the day as inclusive as possible to all, specifically inviting members of the Jewish Community to take leading roles in the day’s events, bringing the experience of Hebrew music to a new audience and enabling school children to learn and understand more about what happened in their town as well as asking people to recognise more recent genocides, something I know is supported by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. As usual, the Town Council welcomes comments and will build these into the planning of future events”.

On the significance of Holocaust Memorial Day, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust said on social media, “Holocaust Memorial Day shows us where prejudice can lead when it is normalised and encouraged. On this day we remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. We also commemorate the millions more people murdered through the Nazi persecution of other groups, and in the more recent genocides recognised by the UK government, and the genocide in Darfur. Prejudice has not ended and there is much to do to create a better future.”