Communities Secretary visits Jerusalem for fifth World Holocaust Forum
Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP called for a renewed commitment to stand up to antisemitism and prejudice.
Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP called for a renewed commitment to stand up to antisemitism and prejudice as he joined the fifth World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem.
Mr Jenrick attended the event yesterday (23 January 2020), entitled “Remembering the Holocaust: Fighting Antisemitism”, to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and International Holocaust Memorial Day.
He also undertook a tour of the World Holocaust Remembrance Center and Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust at Yad Vashem.
The tour was led by Yehudit Shendar, curator of the UK Holocaust Memorial and former deputy director and senior curator at Yad Vashem’s museums division. Also in attendance was Lord Pickles, UK Special Envoy for post-Holocaust issues.
Following the visit, Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said:
I was honoured to attend the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem. It was heartening to see leaders of all faiths and nations come together to remember the Holocaust and renew our promise to victims and survivors.
My tour of Yad Vashem was equally as moving. I was especially touched by the memorial showing that out of so much darkness we can still find light and hope.
The UK takes a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism at home and abroad, and as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, I have a profound responsibility to root out antisemitism wherever it arises.
We will take a zero-tolerance approach in cracking down on those who spread this vile poison, which has no place in any civilised society. Our message is simple; such an atrocity must not, and will not, take place again.
This visit comes ahead of International Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday 27 January which remembers the 6 million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of other people killed under Nazi persecution and in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
27 January 2020 also marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp. On Monday, across the UK, thousands of people will come together to learn more about the past and take action to create a safer future.
Find out more about Holocaust Memorial Day and the events taking place on Monday organised by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.
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