Holocaust Memorial Day 2013
Bristol Communities Build a Bridge: Remembering the Holocaust and subsequent genocides and turning lessons learned into action in our city
Bristol City Council supports a series of workshops exploring past and recent acts of genocide and asks “what have we learnt?”
From 2 – 5 pm on Thursday, 24 January 2013, Bristol City Council will once again host an event of civic commemoration for Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) at City Hall in the conference hall, College Green, Bristol BS1 5TR. The event is free and open to the public, all are welcome.
The annual theme country-wide is ‘Communities Together Build a Bridge‘ and events across the South West are listed on the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust website, http://hmd.org.uk/events/find/south-west. This event showcases how groups around the city are working together and have built bridges.
Bristol Mayor George Ferguson will be opening the event with a few words about the importance of memory and of building bridges. Following readings from students from Bristol Cathedral Choir School, a short, hard-hitting video ‘Lessons Learned?’ will be shown. [Ed: the film lasts 1:50 minutes and is available here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p4lHXZczpQ
The highlight of the afternoon will be when members of the audience are invited to join in their choice of five mini-workshops being offered by members of the HMD Steering Group and local community groups. Workshops will help attendees explore how we in Bristol can jointly work to tackle discrimination and intolerance.
WORKSHOPS BEING OFFERED
- 1. ‘Resistance & The Role We Play in Preventing Genocide’ offered by Salaam Shalom
- 2. ‘Seeking Sanctuary in Bristol – Protection & Safety’ offered by Bristol City of Sanctuary and Bristol Refugee Rights
- 3. ‘The Roma People: Past, Present and the Future’ offered by Society Against Racist Incidents (SARI)
- 4. Talking Objects: East Africa and the British Empire offered by Somali Development Group & Bristol Museums
- 5. Holocaust, Genocide and Hatred: Why? Offered by VOSCUR and Bristol Multifaith Forum
At the end of the afternoon, workshop leaders, Councillors and members of the public will be invited to light a candle during a short ceremony of remembrance and reflection.
The event is being webcast by local media company Ecomedia Collective C.I.C., which means that anyone can watch the speeches and participate remotely by going to bambuser.com/channel/BristolHMD or goo.gl/ObZRA. On Twitter, it’s #BristolHMD.
Bristol Central Library and Bristol Museum and Art Gallery will also have stalls to display books on themes relevant to the Holocaust and subsequent genocides, and to showcase the current exhibit ‘No Borders’. Ffi, see http://www.bristol.gov.uk/page/leisure-and-culture/no-borders-contemporary-art-globalised-world
If you would like to attend and have an access need, please contact Simon Nelson on 0117 922 2358 or by email simon.nelson@bristol.gov.uk.
Background on Holocaust Memorial Day
- · The first Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) commemoration in the UK took place in 2001.
- · Holocaust Memorial Day takes place on 27January each year, the date of liberation of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
- · On HMD we share the memory of the millions who have been murdered in the Holocaust and subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur in order to challenge hatred and persecution in the UK today.
- · Holocaust Memorial Day provides an opportunity for everyone to learn lessons from the Holocaust, Nazi persecution and subsequent genocides and apply them to the present day to create a safer, better future.
- · The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day for 2013 is ‘Communities Together Build a Bridge.’ Readers and viewers are invited to build their own bridge online here:http://buildabridge.hmd.org.uk/
- Further information can be found at the HMD Trust website www.hmd.org.uk. The theme paper for this year’s event is available here:
http://hmd.org.uk/resources/theme-papers/hmd-2013-communities-together-build-a-bridge