Holocaust Memorial Day: Local MP reflects on family connection

The Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard MP said that more than 80 years on, it is more important than ever to remember this terrible history, particularly as around one in five Holocaust survivors have died in the past two years.

“My great-grandfather Max was imprisoned in Dachau concentration camp in 1938 after Kristallnacht. He lost everything, including his home and his sweet business. He survived, and he and his family found refuge in our tolerant country,” she said.

“Signing the Book of Remembrance is a moment to pause and reflect, not just on the past, but on where hatred can lead if it goes unchallenged. As we lose the last first-hand witnesses to the Holocaust, the responsibility to remember, to educate, and to stand against antisemitism and racism falls ever more firmly on all of us.”

Ms Mayer added that Holocaust remembrance must remain an active and living commitment.

“It is so important that we continue to reflect on the very darkest times in European history, and recommit to make sure that ‘never again’ truly means never again.”

Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: “Over 80 years on, the Holocaust is fading further into history. As the voices of survivors sadly fades the responsibility to continue their legacy passes firmly on to the next generation. The loss of eyewitness and the urgency to protect their stories for the next generation is crucial.

"Remembering the murder of Jewish people in the past is essential, but remembrance alone is no longer sufficient, especially while Jewish lives remain at risk today. Holocaust Memorial Day must be a call to action. Antisemitism must be confronted early and decisively, everywhere it appears, before it escalates into violence. It is up to all of us.”

A bill to enable a permanent Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens next to Parliament received Royal Assent this month.