Holocaust Memorial Day
We will be hosting Brent Holocaust Memorial Day on Sunday 24 January 2.30pm to 4pm at Brent Town Hall.
We have commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day since 2001 and this year marks the 65th anniversary of the liberation of concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. During the Holocaust six million Jews died at the hands of the Nazi regime. Other groups tortured and killed included communists, gays and lesbians, disabled people and prisoners of war.
On the day, the film 'May We Never Forget' will be screened for the first time. The moving documentary features local Holocaust survivors telling their experiences of concentration camps during WW2. The film, commissioned by Brent Council and directed by Simon Drew has been created by young aspiring filmmakers from Granville Plus Youth Arts Centre in Kilburn.
Included in the documentary is the story of Anita Lasker-Wallfisch. Anita, arrived in Auschwitz when she was 18 and managed to avoid a death sentence because of her talent as a cellist. She instantly became a member of the all female orchestra in Auschwitz where she was forced to play on demand for the SS.
Anita said: "That was a ticket for survival. As long as they wanted music they couldn't put us in the gas chambers."
The event will also feature the exhibition 'The Road to Belsen' created by Rev Gershon Glausiusz, a former prisoner of the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen, where Anne Frank died.
The Survivors Fund, a UK charity will be talking about their work with survivors of the Rwandan genocide and the Tricycle Theatre will be explaining their new initiative 'Minding The Gap', a project that involves young people new to the UK in drama and visual arts.
The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, responsible for the annual commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day across the UK set a theme every year. 2010 will be 'The Legacy of Hope'. The trust asks that everyone listens to Holocaust survivors words afresh and make a commitment to carry their lessons forward into the future, to make their long-term legacy one of hope.
For more information call 020 8937 3144.