Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 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

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
×