London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

'We haven't learned the lessons': Holocaust Memorial Day widened to include remembrance of all genocide

'We haven't learned the lessons': Holocaust Memorial Day widened to include remembrance of all genocide

In the decades since the Holocaust, the world has seen many more acts of genocide.

Britain's landmarks will be bathed in purple light this evening as people stop to remember the horrors of genocide.

Holocaust Memorial Day is dedicated to the millions of people, including six million Jews, who were murdered under Nazi rule during the Second World War and takes place on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp .

This year, however, its scope has been widened to include all victims of genocide.

The Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said that lessons have not been learnt from the horrors of the Holocaust, with the plight of Uighur Muslims in China being frighteningly similar to the genocide of Europe's Jews many decades ago.

He told Sky News: "In the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust there was enormous hope that the horrific nature of that suffering would change the world for the better forever - sadly, while it did happen in some respects, largely it hasn't happened - we haven't learnt the lessons.
Advertisement

"We have seen various genocides take place in Bosnia, Cambodia, Darfur, Rwanda - we're seeing the Rohingya people and Uighurs today - suffering and being persecuted in a horrific manner."

Rabbi Mirvis added: "I am an eternal optimist and the basic nature of human beings is a good one, however we are encountering an enormous amount of tragic hate crime, polarisation, instability which leads to people engaging in horrific acts of violence against others, and therefore we need to notice these signals - we need to take them seriously, we can't forever sit on our laurels and say everything will be alright."


Marie and her mother were the only two family members who survived the Rwandan genocide. Pic: Family


Marie survived the 1994 Rwandan genocide when she was just 17 years old and said world leaders needed to be ready to take action to prevent similar atrocities.

She said: "How can the world watch people being massacred, and do nothing to stop it?

"I thought that after the Holocaust and the Rwanda genocide, they would have learned something and step in and help.

"We know genocide can be stopped if world leaders intervene. I feel like they sit and watch. It's painful to see."


Steven Frank was one of only 93 children who survived the Theresienstadt concentration camp.


Holocaust survivor Steven Frank has shared his experience with more than 800 schools across the country, something he believes is important to honour the memory of those who did not survive.

Mr Frank was nine in 1944 when he, his two brothers and his mother were at Theresienstadt, a disease-ridden camp that acted as a transit point for Jews being sent to the death camps of eastern Europe.

He credited his mother for keeping him alive, saying she had worked in the camp hospital's laundry and had secretly washed her children's clothes to protect them from typhus. She would also wash the clothes of other adults in return for extra rations for her children.

Mr Frank told Sky News: "When you're a child, you don't really think about the future. Are we going to be passed on to Auschwitz? Are you going to die of starvation? You don't really think about the gas chambers. You make the best with your fellow children that are there and you almost accept that is how it is."

Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said Holocaust survivors were an inspiration, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.

She told the PA news agency: "There has been real distress and pain and suffering felt in this country and around the world in this pandemic.

"But the survivors I spoke to - many who are shielding - are the epitome of strength and are getting on with it.

"Bearing in mind what they have experienced and suffered, they give words of wisdom to just keep going, we are going to get out of this."

Landmarks including Wembley Stadium, Cardiff Castle and the Tyne Bridge, will be lit in purple at 8pm and people can remember genocide victims by lighting a candle in their window - symbolising being a light in the darkness.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×