Chelmsford City Council supports the annual Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration organised by the Chelmsford Jewish Community and would like to invite everyone to remember the victims of the Holocaust during World War Two and other genocides.

The commemoration event will be held on Thursday 30 January 2020 at 7pm in the Council Chamber located at Chelmsford City Council, Civic Centre, Duke Street, Chelmsford.

Holocaust Memorial Day is the international day of remembrance for the millions of victims killed in the Holocaust and other genocides and is marked each year on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

2020 marks the 75th anniversary, and this is a significant milestone made particularly poignant by the dwindling numbers of survivors who are able to share their experience.

This year’s principal speaker will be Henri Obstfeld BEM; a holocaust survivor who reveals the day-to-day fear and horror experienced by those evading capture and persecution in Nazi-occupied Holland during the Second World War.

Chairman of Chelmsford Jewish Community, Stanley Keller said: “The theme for this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day 2020 is ‘Stand Together’. As we hear about the terrible experiences of Henri Obstfeld in war-torn Holland, we must act on the theme to ensure such atrocities are never repeated.”

‘Stand Together’, explores how genocidal regimes throughout history have deliberately fractured societies by marginalising certain groups, and how these tactics can be challenged by individuals standing together with their neighbours and speaking out against oppression.

This year has seen the passing away of many more of the dwindling group of survivors and witnesses to the Holocaust. We have an obligation to ensure that we keep alive the memory both of those who survived and of those who did not. This commemoration provides an opportunity to learn of and reflect on many memories and to hear the testimony of Henri Obstfeld.

Admission to the commemoration is free but must be booked in advance.

Places are limited, so please book early by calling 01245 606987 or online at www.chelmsford.gov.uk/holocaustmemorial.