Quakers mark Holocaust Memorial Day
Friends gathered to mark Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January
Quakers around the country gathered for Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD), which for 2019 had the theme ‘Torn from home’.
Friends took the opportunity on 27 January to pay respect to those lost in genocide and war. According to the HMD Trust, the commemorations were held to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, the millions of others killed under Nazi persecution, and the genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
Paul Parker, recording clerk of Britain Yearly Meeting, attended a national commemoration in London. He said: ‘We must all learn lessons from the past to create a safer, better future… Our Quaker faith reminds us that there is that of God in all people. Where there is hatred, we must sow the seeds of love, reconciliation and peace.’
Minehead Meeting House in Somerset hosted a drop-in vigil on 24 January for the local Amnesty International group. People were invited to reflect on the day and write a card or light a candle.
Faith Cartwright, clerk of Minehead Meeting, told the Friend: ‘Quakers support Amnesty International anyway in the town and quite a few Friends are members, so we were very happy to support it. Because the day falls on a Sunday, Amnesty International thought it was appropriate to offer people an opportunity to come and have a token of remembrance. The idea was to try and focus on the genocide that is still going on.’
Brighton Quakers also held a vigil to bear witness to the day, which is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp. Terry Byrne, resident warden of Brighton Meeting, told the Friend that the Brighton HMD vigil started some years ago following similar action in support of Rwanda.
He said: ‘Brighton Council invited us to do it, but recently the council have stopped highlighting HMD as much, probably because of cuts. We’ve got a meeting in June to think about how we might do it differently next year, because the number of attenders has been going down.’
Quakers also volunteered as part of a multi-faith team for the annual Holocaust Memorial Day Civic Commemoration at City Hall in Bristol. The leading speaker was Iby Knill, a ninety-five-year-old Holocaust survivor. Participants were invited to consider what it was like to flee their home at short notice, and what items they would take in their suitcase.
