Holocaust Memorial Day event in Northampton

The event, starting at 1pm, will commemorate the 80 years since the liberation of the German Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, and the 30 years since the Bosnian genocide.

For a second time, the West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has organised the event, and the theme for the ceremony this year will be: “For A Better Future”.

The WNC wishes to encourage people, through this sentiment, to not only show their respect towards the victims of the Holocaust and Bosnian genocide, but to also think about how we, as a society, can bring about a “fairer and more inclusive world”.

The event will feature a number of performances and presentations from the WNC’s Youth Forum, community leaders and local school groups.

There will be a two-minute silence, accompanied by the symbolic blowing of the Shofar—a traditional Jewish musical instrument—played by the deputy of the Northampton Hebrew Congregation, Bruce Greenberg, followed by a flower laying and candle-lighting ceremony in the Guildhall courtyard.

Various speakers will also be present at the event, including WNC’s Chairperson Cllr Jo Gilford, Deputy Lieutenant Peter Bason, and leader of the council Cllr Adam Brown.

Michael Necus, the president of the Northamptonshire Hebrew Congregation, will be reciting a memorial prayer at the end of the programme of events.

Necus said: “I am most grateful to the WNC for hosting this important event which this year marks 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz.“It is most important with the rise in Europe of far-right parties that we remember how such extreme ideologies can result in horrors such as the Holocaust.”

The event starts early in the afternoon and there may be many people who would like to attend the occasion but have no other choice but to miss it.

Local residents who cannot find the time to join the ceremony are, therefore, encouraged to take part in the Light The Darkness moment later in the evening.

This national event occurs every year at 8pm on Holocaust Memorial Day, and it involves a simple yet profound gesture: placing a candle safely on an inside window ledge to remember those who were persecuted and murdered for being who they were, and to stand against all forms of hatred and prejudice in our society today.

The Holocaust Memorial Day at the Guildhall will be recorded and shared via the WNC Facebook and YouTube channel.

If you want to find out more about the event visit the WNC’s events page at www.westnorthants.gov.uk