Newcastle City Council, like many other local authorities, has supported a Holocaust Memorial Day programme since it began in 2000. This year the focus will be The Fragility of Freedom. There is a comprehensive programme of talks, music, lectures, exhibitions, a film, a radio broadcast and workshops for schools. The range and scope of the programme provides opportunities for everyone to engage. It reflects the commitment of people from many different backgrounds to oppose discrimination and the unjust, inhumane persecution of religious, racial or ethnic minorities which leads to genocide. The City Council’s programme can be found on its website.
Peace is fragile
Clearly the Holocaust and the extinction of six million European Jews, is the genocide of which we are most aware; but sadly there are many others. We should not forget the Nazi persecution of the Roma community. Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda.
Current world events make this year’s theme especially appropriate as peace seems more fragile than ever and there are tensions, wars, discrimination and destruction in too many places.
The programme for Holocaust Memorial Day in Newcastle
A key contribution to the programme is organised by a national charity, the Together Plan. The Making History Today exhibition will be displayed in Bewick Hall, Newcastle City Library, from Monday 29 January to Friday 2 February. This is about the Holocaust in the German-occupied Soviet Union, with a focus on Belarus. Approximately 2.7 million Jews were killed in the Soviet Union during the Holocaust. This history is little known.
As well as this exhibition, there is a special event on Wednesday 31 February at 3:30pm on ‘The Forgotten Holocaust – the story of the Roma genocide’. This event is run in partnership with Roma Access Newcastle CIC. To book for this event, please click here.
On Thursday 1 February, there is a screening from 4:45pm to 6:30pm of the award winning film ‘The Rescuers, Heroes of the Holocaust’ and a post-screening discussion with Lady Esther Gilbert , who will join digitally. To book for this event, please click here.
There are also nine schools’ workshops for Years 7 and 8, for classes of up to thirty students. For further information and to book a schools workshop, please use this link.
This exhibition is a powerful reminder of the importance of working together to promote positive change and safeguard our freedoms. All of The Together Plan activities are free to attend, but some events require booking.
