Mayor of Oldham joins youths and community members to observe Holocaust Memorial Day

A commemorative event was held at Royton and Crompton E-Act Academy to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

Pupils joined guests from Oldham Council and members of Oldham Youth Council and Oldham Theatre Workshop to reflect on those we have lost and to discuss how we can take action to create a safer future, working together to challenge prejudice and hatred.

The event remembered all those who lost their lives during the Holocaust, Nazi persecution, and later genocides across the world. 

The Mayor of Oldham, Cllr Dr Zahid Chauhan OBE, FRcGP, gave a speech about the importance of the event, a day of commemoration and action to change attitudes and behaviours towards a better, brighter future.

“Here in the UK and around the world, millions of people face prejudice, discrimination and hostility simply because of their identity. Holocaust Memorial Day is a day of commemoration and action when we challenge these attitudes and behaviours to build a better future together,” the Mayor shared.

This morning I attended Oldham’s annual Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration event at Royton and Crompton Academy.

Holocaust Memorial Day encourages remembrance in a world scarred by genocide. This international day on 27 January remembers the 6 million Jews murdered during the… pic.twitter.com/ur01FhHCXz

— Zahid Chauhan, OBE,FRCGP (@ChauhanZahid) January 26, 2024

The Youth Council and Oldham Theatre Workshop presented about their recent trip to Poland. They visited both Auschwitz and Birkenau camps to develop their understanding of genocide and the horrific consequences of hate.

Guest speaker at Oldham’s Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration event was Leah Burman, a member of the Northern Holocaust Education Group,  founded in recognition that the first generation of Holocaust survivors will not be able to continue to tell their stories forever. 

Leah is a second-generation Holocaust Survivor whose parents were born in Poland.  Her father survived three concentration camps and forced marches.

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