Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) on 27 January is a national commemoration day in the United Kingdom dedicated to the remembrance of Jewish people and others who suffered in the Holocaust under Nazi persecution. It was first held in January 2001 and has been on the same date every year since. The chosen date is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp by the Soviet Union in 1945, the date also chosen for the International Holocaust Remembrance Day and some other national Holocaust Memorial Days.
Since 2005, Holocaust Memorial Day has been supported by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust , a charity set up and funded by the UK Government. ‘Ordinary People’ is the chosen HMD theme for 2023. For more information about why this year’s theme was chosen and what it represents please visit Holocaust Memorial Day Trust Theme 2023
To mark the day a number of events are being held across campus as part of the Holocaust Memorial Week Programme:
- A film screening of 'The Book Thief' will be held by Belong at Sussex on Friday 27 January, from 3pm to 6pm along with an exhibition of information about different groups targeted during the Nazi regime. For further information and to book onto this free event please visit Film Screening - The Book Thief
- Our annual Holocaust Memorial event which has been kindly supported by The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) will take place at the University on Wednesday 1 February, from 2pm to 6pm. The event includes a testimony from our guest speaker, Holocaust Survivor, Manfred Goldberg BEM and a screening of the film Reckonings followed by a discussion with Professor Constantin Goschler, Chair of Contemporary History, Ruhr-University Bochum, Berlin and Professor Gideon Reuveni, Director, Weidenfeld Institute of Jewish Studies/Centre for German-Jewish Studies. For further information and to book onto this free event please visit Holocaust Memorial Day at Sussex 2023
- A film screening of ‘Tacheles – The Heart of the Matter’ which explores how the trauma of survivors of the Holocaust can affect a third generation will be held on Thursday 2 February, from 6pm to 8.45pm. For further information and to book onto this free event please visit Screening 'Tacheles - The Heart of the Matter'
- A masterclass on designing Holocaust Computer Games, by game designer Yaar Harrell who will share their journey of creating computer games based around their grandmother’s experiences during the war, will be held on Thursday 2 February, from 1pm to 3pm. For further information and to book onto this free event please visit Designing Holocaust Computer Games: Masterclass
- A one-day workshop for UK-based teachers and Holocaust educators on international approaches to digital Holocaust education will be taking place on Saturday 4 February, from 9am to 5.30pm. The event offers the opportunity to explore examples of innovative digital Holocaust education practices from abroad (Serbia, Germany, and the United States), as well as introducing platforms and projects that educators could take into their own teaching spaces. For further information and to book onto this free event please visit International Approaches to Digital Holocaust Education