Holocaust Memorial Day: how Birmingham will be remembering the millions of victims of genocide

Birmingham will come together to remember the millions of victims of genocide this week to mark Holocaust Memorial Day (27 January).

The city will pay tribute to the Nazis’ victims and people murdered in subsequent genocides.

This year marks the 77th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

How is Birmingham marking the occasion?

Birmingham’s annual civic commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day will be hosted at Millennium Point this week.

The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Cllr Muhammad Afzal, will lead the event on Sunday (30 January 2022) which this year has the theme of One Day. The event is free, open to all and starts at 2pm.

One Day is the theme for this year’s event, in the hope there may be one day in the future with no genocide. It is also an opportunity to learn more about the past, empathise with others today and take action for a better future.

This year’s programme will feature a candle-lighting ceremony as well as testimony from Mindu Hornick MBE, who will talk about her experiences as a Holocaust survivor, plus performances from violinist Simone Schehtman, Birmingham’s Young Poet Laureate Fatma Mohiuddin and the city council’s choir.

Cllr John Cotton, Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, Community Safety and Equalities at Birmingham City Council, will be hosting the event and give a short speech.

This event will also be recorded and shared via the city council’s social media accounts afterwards.

A national ceremony of remembrance for Holocaust Memorial Day will also be streamed online on 27 January, at 7pm.

For more details, visit the Holocaust Memorial Day website, here.

Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Cllr Muhammad Afzal, said: “Holocaust Memorial Day is an opportunity for everyone to pause, reflect and learn lessons from the past and apply them to the present day, to create a safer, better future.

“This year we will be able to come together to light a candle and remember victims of atrocities and genocides around the world, as well as those who are still sadly losing their lives through war, conflict and hate crime. I hope as many people as possible will join us Millennium Point on 30 January.”

What else is happening across the region?

On Thursday (January 27), the Mayor of Sandwell Councillor Mushtaq Hussain will lay two wreaths of yellow daffodils on behalf of Sandwell Council and the West Midlands Lieutenancy in the memorial gardens at Highfields, West Bromwich.

Sandwell Council House and Highfields will also be lit in purple, the colour adopted by the Holocaust Memorial Trust, from 3.30pm onwards.

Mayor of Sandwell, Councillor Mushtaq Hussain, said: “By marking Holocaust Memorial Day we remember all those who were murdered in the holocaust and subsequent genocides. We also honour all survivors and hope that by listening to and learning from their testimonies we can look forward to One Day when we will live in a world where genocide and hate crimes no longer exist.”

You can also mark Holocaust Memorial Day by lighting a candle and placing it in a window as a mark of remembrance and respect.

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