On this year’s National Holocaust Day, Dame Rebecca Harris MP signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment, and in doing so pledged her commitment to marking Holocaust Memorial Day. 

A day to honour those who were murdered during the Holocaust as well as paying tribute to the extraordinary Holocaust survivors who work tirelessly to educate young people today.

Holocaust Memorial Day falls on 27th January, as the date of the liberation of the infamous former Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation in 1945. Across the UK – and internationally – people come together to remember the Holocaust. With survivors becoming older and frailer, this is likely to be the last significant anniversary at which Holocaust survivors will be present, and able to share their eye-witness testimony. As the Holocaust moves from living memory to history, this Holocaust Memorial Day presents a key opportunity to bring the Holocaust to the fore of our national consciousness. 

After signing the Book of Commitment, Dame Rebecca Harris MP commented: 

“Holocaust Memorial Day this year marks 80 years since the liberation of the infamous former Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, in 1945. Today presents an important opportunity for people from Castle Point to reflect on the darkest times of European history. I pledge to remember the six million Jewish men, women and children who lost their lives in the Holocaust and speak out against all forms of antisemitism, which in recent months has risen exponentially and which needs to be tackled head on.”

Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, added: "This year, on Holocaust Memorial Day, we come together to mark 80 years since the liberation of the extermination and concentration camps of Europe. We remember the six million Jewish men, women, and children who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators, and we honour those who survived and rebuilt their lives after enduring unimaginable horrors. 

As we mark this significant anniversary, the lessons of the Holocaust remain as urgent as ever. With survivors becoming fewer and frailer, and with antisemitism continuing to surge across the world – we must all commit to remembering the six million Jewish victims and must take action to ensure anti-Jewish racism is never again allowed to thrive."