PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP Stephen Crabb will lead the annual Holocaust Memorial debate in Parliament this Thursday.

The debate follows today’s Holocaust Memorial Day (January 27) and Stephen Crabb will lead MPs from across the political divide in marking the importance of remembering the Holocaust.

Despite the lockdown, Holocaust Educational Trust have been able to continue to support schools with learning about the Holocaust as they’ve hosted online workshops for pupils to be able to hear first-hand accounts from Holocaust survivors.

January 27 marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, the site of the largest mass murder in history.

In total 6 million Jews and five million other victims lost their lives during the Holocaust. The theme for this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is ‘Be the Light in the Darkness’.

Commenting ahead of the debate, Stephen Crabb said:

“Despite the difficulties and restrictions we are all living with due to the pandemic, it’s important that the suffering and horrors of the Holocaust are not forgotten.

"Through Holocaust Memorial Day and the excellent work of the Holocaust Educational Trust, we continue to fight antisemitism and other forms of prejudice in our society by educating people of the genocide that was committed over 70 years ago.”

“The debate in Parliament will give an opportunity for the stories of those who survived to be told and for us to once again commit to never allowing these horrors to be repeated.”

County Hall in Haverfordwest will be lit in purple tonight, January 27, for Holocaust Memorial Day.

“As we remember the horrors of the past on Holocaust Memorial Day, County Hall bathed in purple will serve as both a mark of respect and a symbol of hope for the future,” said the Authority’s Chairman, Dr Simon Hancock.

Council Leader Cllr David Simpson, added: “Holocaust Memorial Day is a day to remember the horror that man has inflicted on fellow man but also reflect on how light can come from the darkness, a sentiment that is particularly poignant right now.”

A special online service to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, organised is also taking place in the south of the county, from 5pm.

Joel Barder, vicar of Carew, Cosheston, Nash and Redberth said: “Here, in the churches of Carew, Cosheston, Nash and Redberth we are committed to being a light in the darkness, to raise awareness of these horrific crimes and to promise that we will do all we can to make sure they do not occur again.

“For this reason, and because for us the most important thing we can do is bring our sufferings, prayers and thoughts to God, we are going to be having a special online service to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

“It will be a mixture of videos and reflections, prayers and testimonies. This is accessible through our Facebook page: facebook.com/CarewCoshNashRedberth or our Youtube channel: tinyurl.com/CarewCoshNashRedberth

 

For more on Holocaust Memorial Day click here

For Pembrokeshire pupils’ experiences of visiting Auschwitz click here

The Western Telegraph joined pupils in visiting Auschwitz back in 2018, click here