King Charles Marks Holocaust Memorial Day at Buckingham Palace
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
To observe Holocaust Memorial Day, King Charles and Queen Camilla welcomed genocide survivors to Buckingham Palace today.
They were joined by Dr. Martin Stern, who survived the Holocaust, and Amouna Adam, who survived the Darfur genocide, to light candles in remembrance of victims of genocide.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Day takes place annually on January 27, marking the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The day was designated by the United Nations to "honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides." Jewish communities typically mark Holocaust remembrance on Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, on the 27th of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar (it typically falls sometime in April or May)—marking the day on which the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began.
Last year on Holocaust Memorial Day, Charles, then the Prince of Wales, commissioned portraits of Holocaust survivors to hang in royal residences. He has been patron of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust since 2015.
This year marks his first day of remembrance as King, and he penned a letter about the significance of the day, writing, "We should all renew our commitment to work for a world free from identity-based persecution and violence. Prejudice is always seeking out new victims to demonise, to denounce and, ultimately, to destroy. We must make sure that it never succeeds." He also wrote about his trip to Rwanda in 2022, where he met with survivors of the Rwandan genocide.
King Charles has been open about his desire to be seen as a "defender of faith" rather than a "Defender of the Faith"—he said in 2015, "I mind about the inclusion of other people’s faiths and their freedom to worship in this country. And it’s always seemed to me that, while at the same time being Defender of The Faith, you can also be protector of faiths."
Read King Charles's full letter for Holocaust Memorial Day 2023:
I would like to offer a heartfelt welcome to the 2023 Holocaust Memorial Day National Commemoration.
This annual commemoration is a truly profound occasion in which the United Kingdom comes together to remember those who were murdered, to honour those who survived, and to resolve to work to ensure that the horrors of the past never happen again.
The theme for this year's Holocaust Memorial Day – Ordinary People – reminds us how it was ordinary people who were the perpetrators, bystanders, rescuers, and witnesses to the Holocaust, and its victims. Ultimately, we are all ordinary people, each of us with a role to play and a responsibility to use our gifts for the benefit – not destruction – of our world and humankind. Over many years, I have been deeply touched to have met so many Holocaust survivors, all of them extraordinary people who faced unimaginable horror.
Their strength and determination to share their testimonies is an inspiration to us all. These are people who, despite having suffered so much, have gone on to live the most incredible, flourishing lives in the United Kingdom, and made a remarkable contribution to British society and public life.
This year, for the first time, I visited Rwanda and the Kigali Genocide Memorial. I was moved beyond words by the resilience and grace of the Rwandan people. I will never forget my meeting with survivors and perpetrators who, despite their appalling experiences, now live side by side in a reconciliation village.
As the country gathers to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2023, we should all renew our commitment to work for a world free from identity-based persecution and violence. Prejudice is always seeking out new victims to demonise, to denounce and, ultimately, to destroy. We must make sure that it never succeeds. There is no stronger antidote to division than an appreciation of diversity. That is why I am so proud to see the rich diversity of the United Kingdom displayed in the range of groups taking part in Holocaust Memorial Day.
The invaluable work of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust ensures the testimony and experiences of survivors are shared with millions of people. In learning from the horrors of the Holocaust and the genocides which followed, we can all recommit to the vital principles of freedom of conscience, generosity of spirit, and care for others that are the surest defences of hope.
CHARLES R
You Might Also Like
