National Holocaust Memorial Day
Thursday 27th January 2011
University of Gloucestershire: Park Campus
2011
Untold Stories
Programme
Welcomes and Introductions
Introductory Speech: Kevin Lee (Gloucestershire
County Council)
Key Note Speech: Abigail Gardner (Director of Media
Studies 2. University of Gloucestershire)
DVD: “Synagogue Lane”
Reading 1: Abdoyahya’s Story: Abdoyahya Abdullah
(GARAS Refugee)
Reading 2: Travellers Tales: Delphine Butler
Reading 3: The Butterfly: Alex Giles (Student,
National STAR College)
Reading 4: Mr Landberger’s Story: Abigail Fisher
Reading of the Kaddish – (Translation provided)
(Mr Alan Silverston)
Minute Silence and lighting of candle
(Representative from the Jewish community)
Handing over of “Legacy of Hope” Baton
(Greg Murray to present the Baton to a representative
from the University of Gloucestershire)
Coffee and Refreshments
Introduction: Holocaust Memorial Day: Kevin Lee
Each year on 27 January the world marks Holocaust Memorial
Day (HMD). HMD has been held in the UK since 2001 and the
United Nations declared this an International event in November
2005. 27 January was chosen as the date for HMD because it
was on this date in 1945 that the largest Nazi killing camp
Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated.
HMD is about remembering the victims and those whose lives
have been changed beyond recognition of the Holocaust, Nazi
persecution and subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda,
Bosnia and the ongoing atrocities today in Darfur. HMD provides
us with an opportunity to honour the survivors but it’s also a
chance to look to our own lives and communities today. Genocide
doesn’t happen overnight, it’s a gradual process which begins
when the differences between us are not celebrated but used as a
reason to exclude or marginalise. By learning from the lessons of
the past, we can create a safer, better future.
Each year, we announce a theme for HMD which provides a focal
point and a shared message for the hundreds of events which
take place around the UK. The theme for HMD 2011 is Untold
Stories.
Key Note Speech: Untold Stories: Abigail Gardner
“We carry on telling our stories because we were eyewitnesses. The most important thing is to tell people so this
can never happen again” – lbi Ginsburg, Holocaust
survivor.
On Holocaust Memorial Day 2010, hundreds of people across the
UK came together and pledged to become part of The Legacy of
Hope. Holocaust Memorial Day 2011 – 27 January - offers us a
new opportunity to make this promise a meaningful part of our
future.
The Holocaust was a tragically defining episode of the 20 th
Century. Millions of lives were destroyed or changed beyond
recognition under Nazi regime of hatred. Families, communities
and towns were totally wiped out. When the world learned, for the
first time the scale of the destruction wrought between 1933 and
1945 it vowed ‘never again’. The subsequent genocides in
Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur have shown that there is
still much to be done to make this undertaking real.
It’s easy to talk about the numbers murdered and persecuted
during the Holocaust and subsequent genocides. It’s less easy to
truly appreciate what these figures mean. The 11 million people
murdered by the Nazis were not a statistic. They were
individuals. Somebody’s friend. A Mother. A father. A Child. A
colleague. A neighbour.
It is a sad fact that we will never know all of the names of those
whose lives were wasted. We can never know all of their stories.
But today, we can all listen and we can learn. We can find what
life was like for people such as Janina Fischler-Martinho who was
forced to live in the Krakow Ghetto. We can read about the
experience of Darfuri survivors Halima Bashir. We can explore the
inconceivable decision made by Trude Silman’s parents to send
their daughter away to the UK for safety and we can ask how that
changed her life and what happened to her after her arrival. We
can commit to learn more about all of the victim’s of Nazi
persecution, including the fate of Europe’s Roma and Sinti or
those who were persecuted based on their sexual orientation,
disability, political affiliation, religious belief or skin colour.
Holocaust Memorial Day 2011 provides us with the opportunity to
do this. It also encourages us to look for the Untold Stories in our
own communities. Dr Ralph Kohn is a case in point. Granted
refugee status in the UK as part of the Academic Refugee
programme in 1933, he became a world class pharmacologist.
Today, in many communities we live alongside refugees from
across the world. On HMD 2011 let us ask ourselves if we know
their stories.
Under regimes of hatred it is not only individuals who are targeted
for destruction but entire communities. The village of
Trochenbrod, then in Poland, was completely devastated by the
Nazis in 1942 and today only the name remains. This story is not
unique – countless other towns and villages were destroyed. The
Valley of the Communities at Yad Vashem brings together the
stories of those lost communities as a permanent monument.
There are some stories from the Holocaust which we know. We
are familiar with Oskar Schindler, who saved 1200 Jews from
death and concentration camps because his remarkable story
was told in the 1993 film Schindler’s List. For every story we
know in this way, there are many millions more which we do not.
Now is the time for these Untold Stories to be heard. Using the
written or oral testimonies of the families, communities and friends
who were lost. We can use the story of the partisans, such as
Jack Kagan as our inspiration to stand up for fairness and equality
today.
Each of us re-tell stories in hundreds of ways every day and there
are many Untold Stories among people we live and work with –
in our classrooms, offices and community centres. We retell
stories when we tell our friends about the town in which we grew
up or when we continue to follow the advice of older generations
within our families in the ways we behave and conduct ourselves.
We share interesting news stories on our blogs and social
networks. On HMD 2011 there are endless stories we can tell.
They are not fiction. The accounts of those who perished and
those who survived can and should have an impact on our
behaviour today. Some stories are not easy to hear. They can
speak of danger, pain and suffering. We must not shy away from
these stories – it is vital to recognise the consequences of
exclusion and persecution in order for us to learn the lessons of
the past. However, even in seemingly hopeless situations, we can
also hear stories of hope – how survivors rebuilt their lives or the
stories of vibrant communities which existed before they were
destroyed, or the selfless acts of rescuers and ordinary people.
It is not enough just to tell a story. We must listen to them too. In
our communities there may be stories we do not hear. Do we hear
the voices of the marginalised? Do we know who lives in our
community and do we choose to listen to their stories? Startling
facts can come out if hearing these stories. In the UK, infant
mortality rate in the Gypsy and traveller communities is three
times higher than in the rest of the population. 65% of gay, lesbian
and bisexual students experience bullying at school. Listening to
these stories can bring about a change for the benefit of us all.
Raphael Lemkin dedicated his life to telling a story. This Polish
Jew brought the story of the persecution of America in 1915 to the
attention of the world. His work culminated in the establishment of
the ‘genocide’ and provided the basis for the UN Convention on
genocide. Because the stories of the fate of the Armenians were
not heard, the Nazis were confident that their actions against
those they perceived as ‘different’ would not be challenged.
Lemkin’s work underlines the importance of listening, telling and
recording our stories for posterity.
By hearing stories we have not heard before we can understand
the need to live in a society which values difference and does not
discriminate against anyone based on their race, religion, sexual
orientation, ethnicity , disability or gender. The stories can assist
us in celebrating the society we live in today.
On Holocaust Memorial Day 2011 we can, in numerous ways
make Untold Stories part of our safer future. We can share
Untold Stories with our friends, families and colleagues. We can
make the lessons of these stories an inspiration for our behaviour.
Where stories are missing, we can remember that millions of lives
have been wasted and we can pay respect to those individuals.
Moreover, we can share stories of the way in which we live today.
We live in an age where it is easy to share Untold Stories. We
can blog, we can record our stories and we can create artwork
and media which is accessible to large audiences. Our stories can
be shared instantly. We all have the power to play a part in the
lives and words that are remembered. It is our role to ensure that
the stories of the past do not get lost. We can join together to tell
stories that enable us to learn from history, from the real stories of
those who are no longer with us in order to create a safer, better
future.
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story
inside you” – Maya Angelou
Reading 1
Abdoyahya’s Story: Abdoyahya Abdullah (GARAS Refugee)
Abdoyahya Abdullah was born and brought up in the village of
Terbiba in rural Western Darfur. Darfur is a region the size of
France in the Sudan, itself currently the largest country in Africa.
Darfur has seen a long running genocide, which began during the
war which started in 1996 when fighting broke out between the
Arab Tribes and the Massaleit.
Abdo was just 15 when this started. In 1997 when the conflict
moved into the local region, all male Arabs were recruited by
General Hassan Hamdedin. They were formed into the Janjaweed
militia who became responsible for defending the Sudanese
government and Arab Tribes. This meant that the non Arab tribes
were then systematically attacked with villages being looted, cattle
stolen and killed and houses razed to the ground. Raiding parties
went through the region causing enormous destruction, and
committing numerous murders and rapes. This particularly
affected the Massaleit people.
In August 2003 Abdo, now married and with a young baby, saw
his village raided. Because he and his family were out on the
farm they were saved but the village was destroyed. The family
sought safety in another village and under the cover of darkness
reached his parents house.
They stayed there until February 2004 constantly on guard night
and day to protect their community. This village was in turn
attacked very early one morning in February. Abdo had gone out
to collect firewood and was absent when the attack took place.
This time, tragically, his wife and brother were killed and many of
his family members were missing. He could not find his son and
for many months Abdo and his Uncle searched for any signs of
his family. Finally he found his mother and son living in a
temporary camp, trying to survive.
During this time Abdo was subjected to personal attacks and
beaten up by government officials searching for local leaders.
Once again this small community was attacked by raiders and
while attempting to save an old man, he became separated from
his mother and son. Despite extensive searching he has not seen
his family since.
In desperation Abdo made his long journey to find safety. Finally,
after putting his life in the hands of many different people he
arrived in the UK and asked for Asylum. In 2010 Abdo was finally
recognised as a refugee and his life is safe in the UK, but the
need to know the story of his family never disappears.
Reading 2
Travellers Tales: Delphine Butler
(A)
My name is Monika Nanarova. I am originally from the Czech
Republic. I came here 3 years ago with my husband and children.
I have a 15 year old daughter and an 11 year old son. Life in
Czech Republic for Gypsies is very hard. If your appearance is
different, such as having tanned skin you are verbally abused
and rejected. I looked for work but was not offered any based on
my appearance and culture. I was never offered any
employment. After moving to the UK I found people more
accepting and there are more opportunities for employment;
although I appreciate this does take time.
I cannot face the prospect of returning to the Czech Republic to
face further discrimination. My children deserve a fairer life. I
want myself and family to stay in UK where we all feel happier.
Monica Nanarova
(B)
Life as a Gypsy.
Being a Gypsy is very hard.
Every day living can be very bad.
Why can't they except us for who we are,
Instead of painting us with this tar
Let us fit in and mix with you,
and do all the things you all do.
Give us the chance to be happy in school,
instead of making us feel the fool.
We want to learn we want to be bright,
but all you want to do is fight
Composed by:
Lisa Smith
Skye Smith
Kerry Smith
Lucy Smith
Eddy Buckland
Reading 3
Alex Giles: Student National STAR College
Poem by Pavel Friedmann, a young Jewish man who spent
time in both the Theresienstadt Ghetto and Auschwitz.
He was the last. Truly the last.
Such yellowness was bitter and blinding
Like the sun’s tear shattered on stone.
That was his true colour.
And how easily he climbed, and how high,
Certainly, climbing, he wanted
To kiss the last of my world.
I have been here seven weeks,
‘Ghettoized’.
Who loved me have found me,
Daisies call to me,
And the branches also of the white chestnut in the yard.
But I haven’t seen a butterfly here.
That last one was the last one.
There are no butterflies, here, in the ghetto.
Reading 4:
Mr Landberger’s Story:
To be read by either Mr Landberger or Abigail
Fisher.
May the great Name of God be exalted and sanctified,
throughout the world, which he has created according to his will.
May his Kingship be established in your lifetime and in your
days, and in the lifetime of the entire household of Israel, swiftly
and in the near future; and say, Amen.
May his great name be blessed, forever and ever.
Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled, honored elevated
and lauded be the Name of the holy one, Blessed is he- above
and beyond any blessings and hymns, Praises and consolations
which are uttered in the world; and say Amen. May there be
abundant peace from Heaven, and life, upon us and upon all
Israel; and say, Amen.
He who makes peace in his high holy places, may he bring peace
upon us, and upon all Israel; and say Amen.
KADDISH TRANSLITERATION
Yis'ga'dal v'yis'kadash sh'may ra'bbo, b'olmo dee'vro
chir'usay v'yamlich malchu'say, b'chayaychon uv'yomay'chon
uv'chayay d'chol bais Yisroel, ba'agolo u'viz'man koriv; v'imru
Omein.
Y'hay shmay rabbo m'vorach l'olam ul'olmay olmayo.
Yisborach v'yishtabach v'yispoar v'yisromam v'yismasay,
v'yishador v'yis'aleh v'yisalal, shmay d'kudsho, brich hu, l'aylo
min kl birchoso v'sheeroso, tush'bechoso v'nechemoso,
da,ameeran b'olmo; vimru Omein.
Y'hay shlomo rabbo min sh'mayo, v'chayim alaynu v'al kol
Yisroel; v'imru Omein.
Oseh sholom bimromov, hu ya'aseh sholom olaynu, v'al kol
yisroel; vimru Omein.