Stoke-on-Trent City Council is joining commemorations for this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January 2022.
Lord Mayor Councillor Dr Chandra Kanneganti and City Council Leader Abi Brown have recorded short videos as a reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust and the genocides which followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur, and will be collaborating with Staffordshire University to host an online event remembering the atrocities of the Holocaust and offering continued support to people facing persecution and genocide.
The virtual Memorial Day, accessible on Staffordshire University’s website, provides an opportunity for people across the City to come together to reflect on the impact of the Holocaust on individuals and communities, acknowledging the pain and suffering experienced by those affected, as they strive to tackle discrimination and hate.
There will be links to information on the history of Holocaust Memorial Day, where people can also reflect on this year’s theme “One Day”.
Professor Caroline Sturdy Colls, who specialises in the Holocaust and genocide at Staffordshire University, will also talk about the day the first transport went to the Treblinka extermination camp.
Schools across the city, including Birches Head Academy, will deliver assemblies to raise awareness amongst our young people. New Vic Theatre Group, Borderlines, have worked with 300 local young people from New Friars, Aurora Hanley, St Joseph's College and Ormiston Meridian to support them in creating peaceful and safe communities. Between 28 and 31 January, the New Vic will be staging a production of the powerful documentary Yizkor.On 31 January, Martin Morris, President of the Stoke-on-Trent & North Staffordshire Hebrew Congregation, will be taking part in a question and answer session at the annual Holocaust Memorial Service at Elim Pentecostal Church in Longton.
Martin will share stories of 33 members of his family explaining: “They all disappeared into the concentration camps and there were no records that survived, as soon as the Germans realised they were losing the war they burned as many records as they could to cover themselves so there was no proof of their behaviour.”
His grandfather, Maurice Posnansky (later changed to Morris Morris), had also gone to extraordinary lengths through a three-year journey on foot to the UK from Bolimov, Poland, to avoid Russian military service forced upon Jewish boys under an anti-Semitic regime, eventually settling in Hanley, setting up a tailoring business through skills acquired along the way, sewing clothes in return for lodging.
This year also marks the 80th Anniversary of the destruction of Lidice village, by the Nazis, in what is now the Czech Republic, in June 1942. On 6th September 1942, the Lidice Shall Live campaign was launched at a mass meeting in Victoria Hall, Hanley, led by local GP and Councillor Barnett Stross, with the North Staffordshire Miners’ Federation; raising the equivalent of over £1 million in today’s money to rebuild Lidice, mostly by miners.
Councillor Abi Brown said: “The theme is particularly fitting this year, as it marks the 80th Anniversary of the Lidice massacre. Not so long ago, Stoke-on-Trent was recognised as the kindest city in the UK and the work of Councillor Barnett Stross through the Lidice Shall Live Campaign to help rebuild the village after the Second World War is testament to this.
“Holocaust Memorial Day is an important reminder of the atrocities of the Holocaust and a time to honour the millions of people who were murdered during the Nazi persecution in Europe. The theme “One Day” is also a day we honour all those that suffered through the genocides that followed. We are committed to learning from history.
“We want to ensure that the victims of the Holocaust are never forgotten and that our younger generations are educated on the Holocaust to create a safer future for ourselves and our children.”
Lord Mayor Councillor Kanneganti said: “Stoke-on-Trent is a diverse multi-cultural city and for many of our residents the Holocaust will have deep personal meaning. Marking Holocaust Memorial Day encourages residents to learn about the struggles of the victims, communities and families affected. We also live in the hope that one day we put an end to all genocide and all forms of prejudice.”
A book of commemoration for Councillors and Council staff to sign will be located outside the Lord Mayor’s Parlour at the Civic Centre from 26 to 28 January.
A national online ceremony will also be streamed on Thursday from 7pm until 8pm via the National Holocaust Trust’s website - a charity which promotes and supports Holocaust Memorial Day in the UK. To watch the ceremony, go to: Holocaust Memorial Day Trust | UK Holocaust Memorial Day: 2022 Ceremony (hmd.org.uk)
To take part in the virtual Memorial Day on Staffordshire University’s website go to: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/events
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