Chester MP Holocaust Educational Trust Book of Commitment

Chris Matheson this week signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment as part of Holocaust Memorial Day.

The book pledges commitment to honouring all those murdered during the Holocaust and pays tribute to all those who work tirelessly to educate young people today. This year’s event marks 77 years since the liberation of concentration camps in Europe and the end of the Second World War.

Chris said: “Holocaust Memorial Day is a hugely important event, and an opportunity for us all to reflect on the darkest times in European history. The Holocaust Educational Trust do incredible work to organise commemorative events across the country, and I pay tribute to all that they do.

“January 27^th is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and though this awful time is fading from living memory, we know that the scourge of antisemitism persists to this day. We must continue to stand up to such mindless hatred, and I know that people across Chester will also be joining me in taking time to reflect.”

Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said:

““As the Holocaust fades from living memory, it falls on all of us to ensure that their stories and the stories of the 6 Jewish million men, women and children brutally murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators, are never forgotten. We all have a duty to remember the Holocaust and to stand up against antisemitism and hate, now more than ever.”

The Holocaust Educational Trust was founded in 1988. Their mission is to raise awareness and understanding in schools and amongst the wider public of the Holocaust and its relevance today. One of the Trust’s earliest achievements was to ensure that the Holocaust was included in the National Curriculum for England in 1991 – for Key Stage 3 students (11-14 year olds). The Holocaust has remained on the National Curriculum since then. They also successfully campaigned to have the assets of Holocaust victims and survivors released and returned to their rightful owners in the late 1990s.

Pictured - Chris Matheson MP signing the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment.