27 January 2026 – Holocaust Memorial Day

There has been much concern about the number of schools who have declined to participate in this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day. In 2023, more than 2,000 UK Secondary Schools signed up to participate. In 2024, the number fell to 1,200 and last year it was 854 out of 4,000.

The change has been wrought by the massacre of 1,200 Jews in Israel by Hamas and the subsequent retaliatory action by the Israeli Government. This has resulted in the decimation of Gaza and among the casualties have been many women and children.

Parents in some catchment areas have been objecting to Holocaust Memorial Day being marked. For some, it is seen as a form of propaganda which favours the Jews. For others, marking this day should be accompanied by an opportunity to highlight the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza.

Three important things should be said. Firstly, the Holocaust was the systematic murder not only of Jews but of Roma, Jehovah Witnesses, people with disabilities, those who were gay. It grew out of a civilised European nation and was integrated into the natural order of the day. Murder on an industrial scale!

Secondly, the Holocaust didn’t begin  with mass shootings and gas chambers. It began when neighbours stopped speaking to each other. It began when  teachers and children discriminated openly about other children. It began on the street with name-calling, smashing shop windows, beating people up.

Thirdly, it is not a day for politics. It is a day for reflection. Hence the candle in the window, light in the darkness. It is a day to remember what human beings are capable of doing to each other. A day to remember how personal slights, animosities and grudges can grow into uncontrollable monsters. Beware! Remember!

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