Medway’s communities will come together once again to remember and honour the millions of people who lost their lives during the Holocaust.
Memorial services will be held across the country to mark Holocaust Memorial Day which falls on Monday, 27 January.
Medway’s commemoration will take place on Tuesday, 28 January at Cliffe Woods School. Refreshments will be served from 5.30pm with the event starting at 6pm.
Since 2004, Medway’s Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration has been organised jointly by Medway Council, Chatham Memorial Synagogue, Rochester Cathedral and the Medway Inter-Faith Action Forum (MIFA). Since 2010, they have been joined by the Medway Youth Council.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. In 2015, Medway’s organising committee was presented with one of 70 commemorative candles by the HMD Trust which is lit every five years.
The candle will be lit at this year’s commemoration by representatives from the synagogue, cathedral and Cliffe Woods School.
The commemoration will include presentations, readings poetry and prayers from local schools, Medway Youth Council, MIFA, Medway’s religious communities and Kent Police. Cllr Vince Maple, Leader of Medway Council, and the Deputy Mayor of Medway, Cllr Douglas Hamandishe, will also attend the service.
Each year the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust sets a theme for services. This year they have chosen “For a Better Future” which aims to highlight the collective responsibility everyone has to shape a positive future.
Honour those who are no longer with us
Cllr Vince Maple, Leader of Medway Council, said: “Holocaust Memorial Day provides an opportunity to remember those who lost their lives and those who were impacted by the Holocaust and subsequent atrocities.
“This year’s theme is one that will resonate across all communities and something that requires us all to work together. The commemoration event is a fantastic example of this, with people across Medway coming together to pay their respects and honour those who are no longer with us.”