The people of Coventry came together this week (27 January) to honour the annual Holocaust Memorial Day, which this year fell on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
The event was held at the Belgrade Theatre, and a large audience heard from city leaders and guest speakers, as well as schoolchildren and students from the city.
Cllr Abdul Salam Khan, Deputy Leader of Coventry City Council, hosted the service, with speeches from Lord Mayor, Cllr Mal Mutton and Council Chief Executive, Julie Nugent.
The main speaker was Lesley Urbach, from Generation 2 Generation, a Holocaust education charity, who told the story of her mother Eva Urbach and aunt Ulli Adler, who escaped to Britain and Argentina in 1938 and 1939.
The talk focused on what happened to their parents left behind in Germany, who were murdered at Auschwitz.
There was also a performance by actors from Time Will Tell Theatre, who enacted first-hand accounts of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, which will also mark its 80th anniversary this year.
The audience also heard music from Coventry Music Brass Quintet and Bluecoat School Choir, readings from students from the University of Warwick, and pupils from Cardinal Newman Catholic School talked about their personal experiences of conflict and the importance of learning about the Holocaust.
A candle was lit as the city remembered the victims of the Holocaust and other genocides including Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur, Afghanistan and Syria.
This year’s theme was ‘For a Better Future’, and Cllr Khan told the audience: “It is something our city works for continually, both here at home, and around the world, and it is a call for action that we can all be a part of.
“There are many things we can do to create a better future. We can speak out and stand up for others and we can challenge prejudice. We can learn from our past and from the Holocaust, genocides, and wars, and we can tell our stories and remember those we have lost to hatred and prejudice – as we do today.
“If we can all leave here with the determination to take one action or change one thing, then together, we can make a difference and help to build that better future.”
To learn more about HMD, visit the website.