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Opinion

Holocaust Memorial will stand as a warning

The new centre will enable future generations to grapple with the history of the Shoah

August 5, 2021 11:02
UK Holocaust Memorial
3 min read

The Holocaust will always be an integral part of our lives as British Jews. Nearly all of us know someone who was affected by the Holocaust and have grown up hearing their stories.

The announcement last week of the establishment of the UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre right next to Parliament sends a strong message that the Holocaust is not just Jewish history, it is British history.

The place of the Holocaust in the British psyche has not happened by chance, and nor has it happened overnight. In 1988, when the Holocaust Educational Trust was formed, the War Crimes Bill was going through Parliament. This Bill was designed to ensure that Nazi war criminals who had settled in the UK could be prosecuted here, in the British courts, and the public discussion at the time highlighted that there were people in every corner of this country, from every background, who either knew about this painful history or wanted to know more. There were teachers who needed guidance on how best to grapple with this most challenging subject. There were survivors who, having rebuilt their lives here in the UK, wanted to share their story.

In the 33 years since then, an infrastructure has been built in the UK – supported both financially and otherwise by our community, allies, successive Governments and philanthropists. Organisations and institutions teaching about the Holocaust, researching the Holocaust, and ensuring the Holocaust is remembered have been embedded across the country. The Holocaust is mandatory on the National Curriculum. Today, teachers are trained at every stage of their career, Holocaust survivors share their testimonies every day of the week, students from every subject area have opportunities to learn about and remember the Holocaust including visits to the sites where the Holocaust took place and policy makers have a chance to understand how and why the Holocaust happened.