Medway’s communities will come together virtually this year to commemorate the millions of people who lost their lives during the Holocaust.
Memorial services will be held across the country on Wednesday, 27 January, Holocaust Memorial Day, to honour those who were affected by the Holocaust.
Each year the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT) suggests a theme for services and this year they have chosen ‘be the light in the darkness’. It encourages everyone to consider different kinds of ‘darkness’, for example, identity-based persecution, misinformation, denial of justice; and different ways of ‘being the light’ such as resistance, acts of solidarity, rescue and illuminating mistruths.
Since 2004, Medway’s commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day has been organised by Medway Council, Chatham Memorial Synagogue, Rochester Cathedral and the Medway Inter-Faith Action Forum. More recently they have been joined by Medway Youth Council and Kent Police. All organisations are committed to ensuring that the Holocaust and other human atrocities are never forgotten.
Medway’s Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration service will be available for residents to watch on Medway Libraries’ YouTube channel on Wednesday, 27 January.
The service will include presentations, readings and performances from Chatham Memorial Synagogue, The Mayor of Medway, Kent Police, Medway Inter-faith Action Forum, Medway Youth Council, Bradfields Academy, Cliffe Woods Primary School and Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School.
As part of Medway’s Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations, a powerful art installation, using pink triangles and yellow stars that gay men and Jewish prisoners were forced to wear during the Holocaust, will be on display at Intra Arts, Chatham Memorial Synagogue and the Ship Inn, in Chatham. The installation will be able to view from 27 January and will be in display throughout LGBT History Month in February.
Find out more about Medway’s Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations