27^th January is Holocaust Memorial Day. It is the day where people across the world remember the millions of people killed in the Holocaust, and other victims of Nazi persecution as well victims of subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur. We come together on January 27^th as it marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp. The true extent of actions against the Jewish population was revealed, from the day-to-day persecution, where Jewish people were banned from taking part in everyday activities taken for granted such as owning a telephone, joining a sports team and even having their German citizenship revoked. To the forced ghettoization of the Jewish population of Germany and Eastern Europe as the Nazis took control of more countries. To the Final Solution where the course of history was changed as it became the mission of the Nazis to murder all the Jewish people living in Europe.

The theme for this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is ordinary people. Genocide is facilitated by ordinary people, ordinary people act as perpetrators, bystanders, rescuers, and witnesses. Victims are ordinary people. By coming together to mark Holocaust Memorial Day we can send the message that the ordinary people in our community, both inside and outside of school, reject hate in all its forms. Events such as this should remind us all that it is our duty to challenge hatred wherever we see it, and not oversee the discrimination of others in collective silence.

During our service of remembrance, we heard readings from Mitchell, Layla and Brooke in year 7 and Summer in year 11. As well as Tom in year 11 carrying out the lighting of six candles to represent the Holocaust, Nazi Persecution and the genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. Every year on Holocaust Memorial Day, people across the UK light candles as a way to remember those who were victimised and come together for a national moment of solidarity and commemoration.