Today is Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD). It is the international day on 27 January to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of other people killed under Nazi persecution of other groups ( including Black people, Gypsies, Roma, Sinti, disabled people, gay people, political dissidents and religious minorities) and during more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. 27 January marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.
We continue to observe it because genocide must still be resisted every day. Our world often feels fragile and vulnerable and we cannot be complacent. Even in the UK, prejudice and the language of hatred must be challenged by us all. Let us pray we never forget the Holocaust and always seek justice and freedom for all people.
Featured image: Holocaust Memorial, Berlin (Photo: David Hodgson)