Foreign Secretary David Lammy has spoken about his pride in the fact his first trip in post included a visit to Yad Vashem.
In a Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony hosted jointly with Israel’s Embassy in London at the Foreign Office yesterday, Lammy told those present: “We need Holocaust remembrance. Holocaust education. Action against antisemitism – it is how we build a better future for us all together.”
He added: “That is why it was a great honour to make my first visit as Foreign Secretary to Yad Vashem last July. Why I am proud to host you all in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on Holocaust Memorial Day and why I have been so glad to come into this job as the UK holds the Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.”
He also paid tribute to Lord Eric Pickles, “whose work as Envoy only reinforces the cross-party nature of our country’s commitment to Holocaust remembrance”.
The MP for Tottenham shared his joy at seeing the “thriving Jewish community” in his constituency and stressed the need to “to find new ways to tell the story” of the Shoah, adding: “The next generation risks being distracted, clickbait making it all too easy not to grasp the full horror of the Holocaust”.
Following Lammy’s comments, Israel’s UK ambassador Tzipi Hotovely spoke about the perils of rising antisemitism across the world.
“Nothing reminds us of this more than the horrendous terrorist attack on October 7 2023 and the dark days that have followed – including the ongoing captivity of innocent hostages. We pray for their swift and safe release” she told the audience.
She went on: “For Jewish people around the world, October 7 was a sobering reminder of the ongoing challenges that we face, and the need for a safe and secure Jewish state. The State of Israel stands not only as a homeland for its citizens but as a beacon of freedom for Jewish people everywhere.”
Hotovely concluded that “Holocaust Memorial Day serves as a reminder – not just of the suffering of countless innocent people under the terror of tyranny of Nazi Germany – but also of the strength and determination of the Jewish people not to be beaten.”
Those present also heard testimony from Janine Webber BEM’s story of survival and resilience.
The ceremony also saw a performance of El Malei Rachamim, the prayer in memory of the victims of the Holocaust and Nazi Persecution, recited by Cantor Jonny Turgel, Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer reading Primo Levi’s poem The Survivor, and a speech by Holocaust Educational Trust Young Ambassador Evie Robinson, as well as a lighting of memorial candles.
