Date published: 2025-01-28 | Category: Communities and volunteering, Focusing on prevention
Reflections from the daughter of a Hungarian Holocaust survivor and a student from Bath who has visited Auschwitz were among the presentations at a moving service to mark Holocaust Memorial Day yesterday (January 27).
Nicola Keller spoke about the experiences of her father Andrew Keller, who survived a Nazi labour camp and a Romanian displaced person’s camp, later becoming a Research Professor in polymer science at the University of Bristol.
School student Tali Gordon from Bath, a member of the Holocaust Education Trust, spoke about her visit to Auschwitz and the importance of never forgetting and teaching future generations about the Holocaust.
The event to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp, was held at The Guildhall by Bath & North East Somerset Council in partnership with Bath Interfaith Group.
More than 110 attendees heard music performed by Joanna Hanstead and Paul Leonard and were invited to lay a commemorative stone after a lighting of the candles ceremony.
Holocaust Memorial Day takes place on January 27 each year and remembers the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of other people killed under Nazi persecution of other groups and in more recent UN recognised genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. This year’s theme is ‘For a Better Future’.
Councillor Karen Walker, Chair of Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “It was incredibly moving to hear the experiences of Nicola and Tali and to see the photo display of survivors and those that lost their lives, which are a stark reminder for us all that the impact of the Holocaust is still felt today. Encouraging others to learn about the Holocaust and speak up against all genocide helps to create a better future. Education and awareness are the key to breaking down the barriers that may exist between us, renouncing hate and prejudice whenever we encounter it.”
ENDS