Holocaust Memorial Day

Your favourite days out round Leeds
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munki
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Joined: Thu 25 Jan, 2007 5:16 am

Post by munki »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/leeds/content/arti ... ure.shtmlA civic commemorative event at the Town Hall this Sunday 27th, Holocaust Memorial Day. Leeds City Council will host its annual commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day on Sunday 27 January 2008 at 2pm. The event marks the 63rd anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and members of the local community are invited to attend the commemoration.A national event, Holocaust Memorial Day provides a day of reflection on the lives of those lost in the Holocaust. It also aims to educate about and prompt action against recent genocides and the continuing dangers of all forms of discrimination.Each year, Holocaust Memorial Day explores a theme. The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2008 is 'Imagine...remember, reflect, react', which provides a focus for people to remember the past and reflect on the racism and intolerance which exists in society today. This year's event in Leeds is hosted by The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Brian Cleasby and a musical backdrop will be provided by The Adel Primary School Choir and the Magenta String Quartet. Focus for reflection will be provided by a key note speech from Rev. Dr. Simon Robinson, FRA, Professor of Applied and Professional Ethics at Leeds Metropolitan University, and spoken tributes will be made by members of local faith groups....& also, it's run by me, so come along & show your support!
'Are we surprised that men perish, when monuments themselves decay? For death comes even to stones and the names they bear.' - Ausonius.

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cnosni
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Post by cnosni »

My Uncle George,who passed away last year,was taken to a concentration camp,he thinks it was Belsen but was not too sure.He was in Germany at the time,fighting with the army during their final pushes in towards the Rhine.A superior of his selected him to get in a truck and go to an undisclosed destination.On the way he was told to put on some protective clothing.The truck picked up others along the way,just one man from a particular unit or whatever.When they arrived they were briefed,told about what to expect,look around and report back to their respective units and tell everyone what they had seen.He couldnt,or did not want to go into specifics,but as we all know it was horrendous.All he could say was,"Bodies,bodies everywhere,naked,piled up,in railway wagons,on the floor"I recorded my conversation with him as part of my family history.I suggest to others that if you still have friends or family members with similar war experiences then do the same,once these people have passed away we will lose first hand witness evidence of these momentous and sometimes atrocious events.If we never want anything like this to happen again thenlet us all learn the lessons of history and pass it on to the next generation,or they may make the same mistakes.
Don't get me started!!My Flickr photos-http://www.flickr.com/photos/cnosni/Secret Leeds [email protected]

Barwicker
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Joined: Tue 10 Apr, 2007 11:27 am

Post by Barwicker »

Some three years ago during a trip to Poland I was able to visit the two camps of Auschwitz & Birkenau. This is something I will never forget but can not adequately describe. A local thunderstorm added to my feeling of oppression that afternoon.For anybody interested in a well researched account of these camps there is a book "Auschwitz" by Laurence Rees published by BBC Books which tells their story in an unsensational but disturbing way.    

Leeds Lass
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Joined: Tue 27 Feb, 2007 7:30 pm

Post by Leeds Lass »

I visited Auschwitz/Birkenau in Nov 06 and found it very moving and very disturbing. I am glad I went, morbid as that sounds. I have been brought up with documentaries and stories about the Holocaust; it's one thing seeing it on tv, but unless you visit, you just cannot comprehend the scale and size of the camps, nor picture the true horror of the atrocities carried out there. We should never forget. It should be part of the school curriculum to cover these events in history lessons. If we hadn't had tv when I was a kid, there's nowhere else I would have learnt about the suffering that went on. It certainly makes you appreciate what you have and why!

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