Power of Words

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day and this year's theme is the power of words. This can take many forms and for me individual testimony can be especially powerful in understanding and underlining the importance of remembering. 

I visited Auschwitz and Birkenau last year; an experience which had a profound impact in fully realising the scale of what happened during the Holocaust.   The need to remember has not lessened, far from it - we must continue to remember and speak against intolerance.  Holocaust memorial day has an important role to play in that respect. 


I was moved this morning by the post of a friend on Facebook sharing photographs of her father who survived being imprisoned at Auschwitz.  She shared two pictures - one of her father's elder sister and parents who perished and one of her father, more specifically his arm. As Shelley says  "The other picture is of my dads tattoo on his arm. His branding as a Jew. How the Nazis tried to dehumanise in order to exterminate - eliminate. Please take a moment to think about these images and how privileged we are to live in a free world which is so taken for granted. Please take a moment to remember what is going on TODAY and the battles and merciless killings that continue. 
Be nice to one another. 
Lest we forget. "

These are indeed powerful words and thank you Shelley for sharing and for allowing me to share. 


After the war Shelley's father, Samuel, came first to the Lake District along with other child Holocaust survivors. You can read more on the The Lake District Holocaust Project website.

A local school is seeking to remember those children who did not survive the Holocaust through collecting buttons. They are seeking to collect 1.5 Millions  to reflect each killed. You can find out more here , including where to send buttons to.