Newcastle Sixth Form College students are helping to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive, by taking part in the Holocaust Memorial Day event to be held at the Sixth Form College at 2.30pm on 25 January 2015.
There’s a new theme every year for the UK’s annual programme of commemorative events to remember the millions killed during the Holocaust, as well as genocides across the world including Cambodia, Rwanda and Bosnia.
This year’s theme is “Keep the Memory Alive.” 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is also the 20th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnia.
As part of their History A level, the students have been studying the Holocaust and have recently returned from a trip to Auschwitz as part of the Holocaust Education Trust’s ‘Lessons From Auschwitz’ programme.
The student exhibition will include a remembrance tree with name tags of victims of the Holocaust where guests can add a leaf to the tree to “bring it back to life” through remembrance as well as a photo wall portraying a celebration of pre-holocaust Jewish life, commemorating the lives they had before.
Student, Nick Percy will also be sharing his experiences of Auschwitz at the event.
He said: “I am really excited to be taking part in the event. It’s really important to remember all the lives that were lost and learn from it. It’s a really important lesson for the future.
“Visiting Auschwitz was a very sombre, almost surreal experience but I am very glad that I was able to go and that I will be able to share my experiences with the guests.”
Steve Gibson, Principal at Newcastle Sixth Form College said: “We are delighted to be able to host such a poignant occasion and are looking forward to welcoming members of the community to the memorial event on Sunday.
“The students have really taken this project on board with some fantastic results. The visit to Auschwitz has really helped them to understand the context of this event and how it is helping to keep the memories alive for the next generation.”
Shadow Justice Minister in the House of Lords and Newcastle city councillor Sir Jeremy Beecham, said: “Auschwitz and the and the other death camps, where millions of Jews died alongside Roma, Poles and other victims, symbolised inhumanity at its worst, and on an industrial scale.
“Seventy years on mankind still seems to have failed to learn the lesson of the past and genocide is still being perpetrated. Not only must we remember the past, we must act to protect the victims of today.”
The Holocaust Memorial Day Commemorative Event is free and members of the public are welcome to attend.
