High levels of engagement in HMDT despite calls to boycott

There was an increase in Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) events this year compared to last, according to the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT). The successful commemorations were despite an “intimidating” campaign to boycott the day from some groups.

HMDT Chief Executive Olivia Marks-Woldman said, “HMD engagement within and across the UK has been phenomenal and impactful.”

Planning for this year’s events to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and other genocides and mark 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz began 18 months ago.

Despite a boycott petition led by anti-Israel group, the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), Marks-Woldman said early indicators suggest engagement was higher than ever.

IHRC had called for Holocaust commemorations to be replaced with “alternatives that recognise the horrific genocide in Gaza.”

But Marks-Woldman said the petition did not affect the day: “Engagement has indicated that it is unlikely this had the impact we feared. The calls to boycott made some organisers concerned about ensuring HMD was marked with integrity.

"Our outreach team has been working with community organisers for many months, making sure that any commemorations focus on the Holocaust and the six million Jews who were murdered.”

Following the fallout from October 7 2023, commemorations in 2024 saw a nearly 20 per cent drop compared to the prior year – but that pattern looks likely to have reversed in 2025.

While HMDT is still calculating the total number of events, which occurred over several weeks in January, Marks-Woldman confirmed that events in prisons and museums have already surpassed last year’s figures. The charity expects a similar pattern across councils and schools, with the final count expected by the end of February.

Survivors of the Holocaust pictured with the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Olivia Marks-Woldman OBE, CEO of Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT), and Laura Marks CBE, Chair of Trustees, HMDT. (Photo: HMDT)[Missing Credit]

HMDT supported communities across the country with resources and guidance on a theme, “For a Better Future”, and provided assemblies and lesson plans for schools.

“Within the UK, we have a national commemoration that HMD organises as a focal point, but we also have a model that roots HMD in local communities.”

Two million people watched the BBC’s coverage of the national ceremony.

“The UK is an exemplar in HMD commemoration. The model we have – holding the Holocaust as central to the day, while also recognising non-Jewish victims and other genocides that meet the definition – is held up as an example around the world.”

Marks-Woldman highlighted the significance of the King’s visit to Auschwitz, the first by a British head of state. “For Holocaust Memorial Day Trust’s Patron, the King to go to Auschwitz, the first ever monarch to do so, and to ensure the day was commemorated in the UK with members of the royal family, shows how important it was for them to mark the 80th anniversary,” Marks-Woldman said.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as the Prime Minister, attended the UK’s national event at Guildhall in London, broadcast on the BBC.

Despite a few upsets on the day, with speakers in Lowestoft and Leicester bringing up the war in Gaza, Marks-Woldman said, “When HMDT reassured people that Holocaust Memorial Day is to commemorate the murder of six million Jews, and that this is at the centre of Holocaust Memorial Day, people have been hugely receptive.”

She referred to the central role of survivors in this year's events: "This may have been one of the last major anniversaries where Jewish survivors of the Holocaust can share their witness testimonies firsthand, so it is more important than ever to have their experiences heard and recorded for posterity."