Bishop Auckland Town Hall will host a day of moving events as Holocaust Memorial Day remembers victims of the Holocaust and genocides.
Every year, on the 27 January, Holocaust Memorial Day invites people to remember the tragic effects of genocide. The date coincides with the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp.
Poignant events organised by Durham County Council, alongside Durham Cathedral and St Anne’s Church, Bishop Auckland, will give residents and visitors a chance to learn more, as well as offering quiet time for remembrance.
On Saturday 26 January, Bishop Auckland Town Hall will have a stirring talk from Holocaust survivor Eva Clarke, who was born in Mauthausen concentration camp in 1945. It promises to be a heart-rending event, as 15 of Eva’s family members were killed in Auschwitz-Birkenau, leaving only her and her mother as survivors. Performances from King James 1 Academy and The Hermitage Academy will also feature.
An exhibition at Bishop Auckland Town Hall will feature accounts of other genocides, including stories from Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Dafur, as well as a display explaining the Durham Light Infantry’s involvement in the liberation of Bergen–Belsen death camp with testimonies from both liberators and the liberated. Events will take place between 10am and 3.30pm.
St Anne’s Church, Bishop Auckland Market Place, is also offering a place for quiet reflection as it opens for contemplation and prayer between 9.30am and 4.30pm on Saturday 26 January, followed by a memorial service on Sunday at 3pm.
Cllr Jane Brown, Cabinet member for social inclusion, said “It’s extremely important we learn from the deaths and suffering of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides in places like Bosnia, Rwanda, Darfur and Cambodia. Genocide is the result of hatred, racism and discrimination.”
Events follow this year’s theme, torn from home, asking people to reflect on what happens when individuals and communities are driven out of their homes because of persecution or the threat of genocide, alongside the continuing difficulties survivors face as they try to find and build new homes when the genocide is over.
Tickets for the talk and school performances at Bishop Auckland Town Hall are free, but bookable in advance. For further information, to book tickets and to view opening times, visit www.bishopaucklandtownhall.org.uk/
Entrance to the exhibition at the library is free and does not require booking.
For more information on Holocaust Memorial Day Trust visit www.hmd.org.uk