holocaust memorial day commemoration

8/9/2019 Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration

1/4

Holocaust Memorial Day

The Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration is designed to cherish the memory of

all of the victims of the Nazi Holocaust. A candle-lighting ceremony is an integral part

of the commemoration at which candles are lit for all the victims. Si of the candlesrepresent the si million !ews who perished. The commemoration serves as an

ongoing reminder of the dangers of racism and intolerance and provides lessons

from the past that are relevant today.

The candles are symbols of different groups of victims and the crocuses are symbols of new life.

On Sunday 25th January 2015 the Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration took place in

the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dulin! "he Mansion House# $mon% those &ho

took part in the ceremony &ere 'resident of (reland! Michael D Hi%%ins) Chief Justice! SusanDenham) Minister for Justice! *rances *it+%erald) Minister for *orei%n $ffairs! Charlie

*lana%an) Lord Mayor of Dulin! Christy ,urke) Holocaust sur-i-ors Su+i Diamond and "omi

.eichental) and the (sraeli amassador to (reland! ,oa+ Modai# *ormer president! Mary

Mc$leese! also attended this ceremony! or%anised y the Holocaust /ducation "rust (reland

in association &ith the Department of Justice and /uality! and Dulin City Council#

,ecause of our partnerships collecti-e in-ol-ement in the Crocus 'roect ( &as pri-ile%ed to

recei-e an in-itation to attend this commemoration ser-ice#


2/4

"he ser-ice &as -ery simple! po&erful and mo-in%# "he keynote speaker &as 'resident

Michael D Hi%%ins# He reminded the %athered audience that the &orld had should not allo&

those killed in the Holocaust to 3die t&ice3 y for%ettin% them# 4e had a duty to ensure that

they should e rememered# "he &orld has a duty to rememer and dra& lessons from the

horrors carried out y the a+is as our direct human ties to the Holocaust e%an to fade# He

added!6*or some! the urden of that past is too hea-y! too painful to rememer# Ho&e-er! for%ettin%

the past # # # can in itself e a harmful and dama%in% act#3

"hrou%h rememerin% &e could 6%ain release from past &ron%s and acuire also the

resolution to anticipate re-i-als of hate and e7clusion8# He also remarked that &hile

rememerin% the 6-ery horrific8 e-ents! &e must also rememer there &as li%ht!

6"here is %ood to e found in the &orld! and there are %ood people &ho &ill stand a%ainst

hatred! destruction and intolerance and &ill carry the torch of truth and li%ht &ith them#8

Minister forJustice, Frances Fitzgerald, and Minister for Foreign ffairs, !harles Flanagan, spea" with

#sraeli mbassador, $oaz Modai.

Minister for Justice! Ms *rances *it+%erald read the &ords of Simone 9eil! a Holocaust

sur-i-or! and founder of the M:morial de la Shoah in 'aris! &ho noted it &as the sur-i-ors&ho first ackno&led%ed their responsiility for passin% on kno&led%e of the Holocaust!

6"he Shoah should ne-er e diminished! denied! used for other ends! or tri-ialised8

Minister for *orei%n $ffairs! Mr Charles *lana%an! read a summary of the Declaration of the

Stockholm (nternational *orum on the Holocaust issued in January 2000# Here is an

important sentence from that document!

3"o%ether &ith our /uropean partners and the &ider international community! &e share a

commitment to rememer the -ictims &ho perished! to respect the sur-i-ors still &ith us! and


3/4

to reaffirm humanitys common aspiration for a democratic and tolerant society! free of the

e-ils of preudice and other forms of i%otry#3

!hairman of Jewish %epresentative !ouncil of #reland, Maurice !ohen with Minister for Foreign ffairs,

!harles Flanagan

"here &ere -ictim readin%s for other cate%ories of Holocaust -ictims# "here &ere t&o

holocaust sur-i-ors present! Su+i Diamond and "omi .eichental! &ho oth spoke aout their

family circumstances and e7periences# "hey spoke of the importance of rememerin% the

-ictims of the Holocaust# $nother sur-i-or in (reland! Jan ;aminski! &as represented y his

dau%hter! Jad+ia ;aminski#

Holocaust survivors, &uzi Diamond and Tomi %eichental


4/4

,oa+ Modai! (sraeli $massador to (reland! reminded us that si7 million Je&s! one third of

the &orlds Je&ish people! died durin% the Holocaust and that 3ne-er a%ain3 &ill Je&ish

people e threatened &ith e7termination# "he names of

holocaust memorial day commemoration

Documents