Southampton marks Holocaust Memorial Day
At 6.00pm on Monday 27 January 2014, residents from the region will join millions from around the world to mourn the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides.
The commemorations will be attended by the Mayor of Eastleigh, Councillor Malcolm Cross, and the Mayor of Southampton, Councillor Ivan White, who will open the event.
Attendees will hear from Holocaust survivor, Henry Schachter, who survived the Holocaust in Belgium by going into hiding, before undertaking a journey to Britain in search of his surviving family members.
Sixth form students from Itchen College will then have the opportunity to reflect on the lessons of the Holocaust through testimonials and readings.
The evening will close with a performance from Southampton Solent University drama students, who will offer a powerful and moving interpretation of the plight of Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
The event will also include an exhibition, curated by the University of Southampton, which will showcase local sixth form students’ responses to the Holocaust, including students from Itchen Sixth Form College, Southampton, and South Downs College, Waterlooville.
Professor Tony Kushner, Director of the Parkes Institute for the Study of Jewish and non-Jewish Relations at the University of Southampton, says: “It is a privilege for us to welcome Henry Schachter to the city’s memorial event. His testimony will remain a powerful reminder of the horrors experienced by so many. We hope it will encourage others to learn from the lessons of the Holocaust and to make a positive difference in their own lives.”
This event is free to attend and all are welcome. Refreshments will be served after the event. For further press information, please contact Tom Plant by email at tpc210@soton.ac.uk or visit www.hmd.org.uk
The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2014 is ‘Journeys’. On HMD 2014, people can learn how journeys themselves became part of genocide, and how the journeys undertaken were often experiences of persecution and terror for so many people who suffered in the Holocaust, under Nazi Persecution and in the subsequent genocides.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT THE MEDIA OFFICE ON 023 8031 9079 or press.office@solent.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About Southampton Solent University
Southampton Solent University offers more than 23,000 students over 200 qualifications ranging from HND to PhD, in subjects such as maritime education and training, fashion and design, media and television, music, health, sport and leisure, business, IT and technology. The university was awarded the 2013 Quality Assurance kitemark for quality and standards of teaching and learning. Solent was voted one of the most creative universities in the UK in a Which? University 2013 poll of students.
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