Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) 2021 takes place on the 27th of January and the theme for this year is, ‘Be the light in the darkness’.
Holocaust Memorial Day gives everyone a chance to reflect on the depths humanity can sink to, but also how individuals and communities resisted that darkness to ‘be the light’ before, during and after genocide.
The ‘Be the light in the darkness’ theme asks us all to consider different kinds of ‘darkness’, such as identity-based persecution, misinformation, denial of justice, and different ways of ‘being the light’, by illuminating mistruths and togetherness.
To show the council’s commitment to commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day, on Wednesday the 27th of January, the General Offices Ebbw Vale will be lit up purple and white.
As many people are spending more time at home, there are a few creative ways that you can commemorate HMD and raise awareness with your household.
Food often brings people together and the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT) has produced recipe cards sharing dishes important to communities targeted during genocide. The recipes are an engaging way of learning about cultures and commemorating the lives of people who were killed during genocide.
Councillor Mandy Moore, Equalities Champion and Chair of Blaenau Gwent Council said:
“We are determined to remember Holocaust Memorial Day in a meaningful way, in spite of the restrictions that are forced on us by the current pandemic. The lighting of prominent buildings is to not only commemorate but to encourage tolerance towards others, lessening a rise in anti-Semitism and highlighting social rights groups such as #NotInMyName. We remember the words of Rabbi Menachem Margolin (2021, ejpress.org) ‘the lessons of the Holocaust have seldom been more pressing or important’.”
The HMDT website is a great resource for teachers and parents who want educate their pupils/children to learn lessons from the past in creative, reflective and inspiring ways.
To get involved, have a go at the recipes and take a picture of your homemade dishes and use the hashtags #HolocaustMemorialDay #HMD2021 #LightTheDarkness to share with others.
There are a range of recipe cards you can explore and download from the HMD website - https://www.hmd.org.uk/resources/?resource_type=40