Holocaust Memorial Day - latest: Kate joins William at event as King issues warning on Auschwitz anniversary

Yahoo

27-01-2025

The Prince and Princess of Wales held hands and warmly embraced survivors at an emotional commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz on Holocaust Memorial Day.
The couple said in an Instagram post: 'Today we remember the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, victims of Nazi persecution, as well as the victims of more recent genocides, including Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.'
It came as the King issued a vital warning to the world as he visited Auschwitz-Birkenau to mark the 80th anniversary of its liberation.
He said: 'In a world that remains full of turmoil and strife and has witnessed the emergence of antisemitism, there can be no more important message...
'The act of remembering the evil of the past remains a vital task.'
Holocaust Memorial Day is held annually on 27 January – the day Auschwitz was liberated by soldiers of the 60th Army of the First Ukrainian Front in 1945 – to remember the six million Jewish people murdered during the Holocaust, as well as the millions of other people killed under Nazi persecution and those who died in subsequent genocides.
King speaks of importance of remembering 'depths to which humanity can sink when evil allowed to flourish'
King Charles wipes away tear as he joins other world leaders to pay respects at 'moving' commemoration
Princess of Wales embraces Holocaust survivors
Sir Keir Starmer says on all of us to stand against hatred today after visiting Auschwitz
19:15 , Barney Davis
The King earlier spoke of the need to remember 'evils past' during a visit to the former Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau to mark the 80th anniversary of its liberation.
'As the number of Holocaust survivors regrettably diminishes with the passage of time, the responsibility of remembrance rests far heavier on our shoulders, and on those of generations yet unborn.
'The act of remembering the evils of the past remains a vital task and in so doing, we inform our present and shape our future.'
18:31 , Barney Davis
Kate hugged and spoke at length with Holocaust survivor Steven Frank BEM, now 89-years-old.
Mr Frank was photographed by the princess to mark the 75th anniversary commemorations in 2020.
Asked about his interactions with Kate after the event, he told reporters: 'She's such a darling.
'She just immediately knew my name – such a lovely person. My grandchildren would be thrilled.'
Asked about his continued efforts to share his experiences, Mr Frank added: 'It's become sort of a mission. Most people say 'You do it because it helps you mentally get it off your chest'.
'I do it because I've had so much good fortune coming to this country and having lived, loved, played sport, had a nice family, and it's time to give something back.'
18:11 , Barney Davis
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales)
18:04 , Barney Davis
The Princess of Wales hugged and held hands with Holocaust survivors as she attended official commemorations.
Kate joined her husband the Prince of Wales, who described their attendance as 'a great honour', at Guildhall in central London on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
William, wearing a navy suit and blue tie, and Kate, wearing all black, were greeted on arrival by Olivia Marks-Woldman, chief executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, and its chairwoman of trustees Laura Marks.
Speaking to Ms Marks-Woldman, Kate described the commemorations as 'so important', adding: 'It is great to be here today with my husband.'
The pair were then shown to the Old Library where they met with two tables of survivors and their families.
After having formal handshakes, Kate then gave one survivor, Yvonne Bernstein, 87, a warm hug before they clasped each other's hands as they sat together and spoke.
The princess said: '(It is) such a treat for me (to see) an old friend.'
18:01 , Barney Davis
Sir Keir Starmer spoke in a speech to mark Holocaust Memorial Day of his 'harrowing' visit to Block 27 at Auschwitz with his wife Victoria earlier this month to search for members of her family in the Book of Names.
'We turned page after page after page just to find the first letter of a name. It gave me an overwhelming sense of the sheer scale of this industrialised murder.
'And every one of those names, like the names we were looking for – was an individual person. Someone's mother, father, brother, sister brutally murdered, simply because they were Jewish.
'People told to bring their belongings like the piles of pots and pans I saw myself. The commandant living next door bringing up his family, the normalisation of murder, like it was just another day's work.
'In Auschwitz, I saw photographs of Nazi guards standing with Jewish prisoners staring at the camera – completely indifferent – and in one case, even smiling.
'It showed more powerfully than ever how the Holocaust was a collective endeavour by thousands of ordinary individuals utterly consumed by the hatred of difference.
'And that is the hatred we stand against today, and it is a collective endeavour for all of us to defeat it.'
17:45 , Barney Davis
Antisemitic incidents have surged in part along with protests against Israel in many parts of Europe, North America and Australia since Israel launched its assault on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza after attacks on Israel by Hamas militants on October 7.
Ronald Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, said on Monday that hatred of Jews was rising against the backdrop of that war, adding: 'Young people are getting most of their information from social media, and that is dangerous.'
Before the ceremony, which took place in a tent built over the gate to the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp, leaders stressed how important it was to preserve the memory of the Holocaust.
'The act of remembering the evils of the past remains a vital task, and in so doing we inform our present and shape our future,' King Charles said during a visit to the Jewish Community Centre in Krakow.
17:40 , Barney Davis
The ceremony at the site of the camp, which Nazi Germany set up in occupied Poland during World War Two to murder European Jews on a huge scale, was attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and many other leaders.
They did not make speeches, but rather listened for perhaps the last time to those who suffered and witnessed at first hand one of humanity's greatest atrocities
17:29 , Barney Davis
The King was among a group of foreign monarchs, including King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and Spain's King Philip VI and Queen Letizia, and placed his light among a growing number with both hands, before taking a step back and bowing his head.
After a prayer by a group of clerics representing Judaism, the Catholic and Protestant churches, Greek Orthodox and Islam, survivors, accompanied by family members, were invited to leave symbolic candles in memory of those who died at Auschwitz.
The elderly men and women placed the lights on a table and they were followed by the heads of state and Government.
17:12 , Barney Davis
17:06 , Barney Davis
Speaking at a commemoration event from Auschwitz, Nova Friedman said she spoke for the children and told the guests she was six years old when she was liberated from the Nazi death camp.
She described her journey to the concentration camp: 'Hungry, thirsty and very terrified I held on tightly to my mother's hand in the dark cattle car for countless hours while the cries and the prayers of so many desperate women permeated my soul and haunt me to this day.
'Finally, we arrived at Auschwitz, a gloomy Sunday with a sky obscured by smoke and a terrible stink hung in the air, and there were rows and rows of naked women all around me.'
During her time in the camp she thought it was 'normal' to die if you were a Jewish child.
She went on to urge the guests: 'We all, all of us, must reawaken our collective conscious to transform this violence, anger, hatred and malignancy, that has so powerfully gripped our society, into a humane and just world. Before this terrible, terrible negative forces will destroy us all.'
16:33 , Tara Cobham
The chairman of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation has said that 'it was the world's silence that led to Auschwitz'.
Ronald Lauder said the Holocaust, while led by the Nazis, 'was advanced by the indifference of people who though they were not affected by antisemitism'.
He told an audience of dignitaries at a ceremony on Holocaust Memorial Day: 'It was the world's silence that led to Auschwitz
'When Hitler heard that silence on Kristallnacht in 1938, he knew he could do anything he wanted with the Jews.'
16:24 , Tara Cobham
16:22 , Tara Cobham
As the world marks the 80th year of the liberation of the Nazi death camp, author Thomas Harding is one of the few people who met the family of the mastermind of Auschwitz.
Here, he recalls exactly what the daughter of Rudolf Hoess told him about life next door to where more than a million innocents were murdered:
The daughter of the mastermind of Auschwitz told me he was a great and loving father
16:20 , Tara Cobham
Another Holocaust survivor has remembered the 'constant black smoke reeking of burnt flesh coming from the chimneys' of the concentration camp.
Leon Weintraub told the audience at a rememberance service marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz that upon arriving at the death camp: 'We were stripped of our humanity.'
He said: 'I suffered a lot, I felt so alone, I was brutally separated from my famoily, I suffered because of the constant black smoke reeking of burnt flesh coming from the chimneys.'
16:01 , Tara Cobham
16:01 , Tara Cobham
A Holocaust survivor has recalled being five-and-a-half years old when she watched 'from my hiding place as all my little friends were rounded up and driven to their deaths'.
Tova Friedman told an audience of dignitaries from around the world: 'I remember as five-and-a-half-year-old child, watching from my hiding place as all my little friends were rounded up and driven to their deaths, while the heartbreak and cries of their parents fell on deaf ears... I remember thinking, 'Am I the only Jewish child left in the world?''
15:54 , Tara Cobham
A Holocaust survivor has told the audience at a ceremony to commemorate the liberation of Auschwitz: 'We are here to proclaim that we will never ever allow history to repeat itself.'
Tova Friedman, who was only six-and-a-half years old when the Nazi camp was liberated, said: 'I represent the children. Very few of us are left. From my town four chiildren survived.
'So I'm here to talk about those who aren't here. And I'm very honoured to speak to this kind of audience that has come from all over the world to mourn, remember and honour the memory of our people who were so brutally murdered by the Nazis.
'However we are also here to proclaim that we will never ever allow history to repeat itself.'
15:39 , Tara Cobham
14:55 , Tara Cobham
The next generation must not be allowed to focus on online 'clickbait' and ignore the grim lessons of the Holocaust, David Lammy said.
The Foreign Secretary said youngsters needed to understand 'how the seeds of such a catastrophe are still around us'.
Speaking at a reception co-hosted by the Israeli embassy in the UK, Mr Lammy said: ''Never again' is a solemn promise which we owe to the victims, but also which we must uphold for our own sake, and for the sake of future generations.
'We need Holocaust remembrance. Holocaust education. Action against antisemitism – it is how we build a better future for us all together.'
Tottenham MP said: 'As a black man descended from the Windrush generation, as MP for the most diverse constituency in Britain – including, I am proud to say, a thriving Jewish community – and now, as Foreign Secretary, I see all too many signs of that lingering infection.
'Auschwitz did not start in its gas chambers. Genocide does not start with genocide.
'It starts with denial of rights. With attacks on the rule of law. With a festering resentment of the other.'
14:24 , Tara Cobham
The King has said the testimony of Holocaust survivors teaches us to 'never be a bystander in the face of violence and hate' as he met those who lived through one of humanity's darkest hours.
Charles visited the heart of Krakow's Jewish community as commemorations began marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the former Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.
14:04 , Tara Cobham
The Princess of Wales will join her husband to attend official commemorations to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
William and Kate will pay their respects at a service in London on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on Monday.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is also expected to attend and speak at the service, along with faith and civic leaders and survivors of the Holocaust and more recent genocides.
Both the prince and princess, then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, attended a service marking the 75th anniversary in 2020, while Kate also took photographs of Holocaust survivors at Kensington Palace.
Kate, 43, made a surprise return to public appearances earlier this month when she gave thanks to medical teams at The Royal Marsden hospital in London, where she received her cancer treatment.
She later said it was 'a relief to now be in remission' and that she was 'looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead'.
Read the full story here:
Kate to join William for official commemorations to mark Holocaust Memorial Day
13:50 , Tara Cobham
The King visited the heart of Krakow's Jewish community as commemorations began marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Charles met Holocaust survivors at the Jewish Community Centre (JCC) Krakow he opened in 2008 and greeted dozens of well-wishers outside the building.
Some people held out their hands for the King to shake, while others held up their smartphones to capture his visit.
13:25 , Tara Cobham
King Charles has called on the world to 'build a kinder and more compassionate world for future generations'.
Speaking on Holocaust Memorial Day at the Jewish Community Centre (JCC) in Krakow, which supports people of all ages and backgrounds as part of its mission to rebuild Jewish life in the city, the British monarch said: 'In a post-Holocaust world, projects such as this centre are how we recover our faith in humanity.
'They also show us there is much work still to be done if we are not just to remember the past but use it to inspire us to build a kinder and more compassionate world for future generations – a world of which we can be truly proud. And this remains the sacred task of us all.'
13:20 , Tara Cobham
The King has spoken of the importance of remembering 'the depths to which humanity can sink when evil is allowed to flourish' at a time when the world 'remains full of turmoil and strife'.
Addressing a group of Holocaust survivors on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Charles said: 'It is a moment when we recall the depths to which humanity can sink when evil is allowed to flourish, ignored for too long by the world.
'In a world that remains full of turmoil and strife and has witnessed the emergence of antisemitism, there can be no more important message...
'The act of remembering the evil of the past remains a vital task.'
13:09 , Tara Cobham
Charles has described Holocaust Memorial Day as a 'sombre and sacred moment'.
The King is speaking to a crowd of Holocaust survivors during his visit to the Jewish Community Centre (JCC) in Krakow.
The British monarch is meeting with the survivors and hearing from volunteers and members about the centre's support for people of all ages and backgrounds as part of its mission to rebuild Jewish life in the city.
12:33 , Tara Cobham
12:28 , Tara Cobham
Around 6.7 million adults in the UK, or 12 per cent, hold elevated levels of antisemitic attitudes, according to a new poll.
And nearly two in five British adults (38 per cent) endorse the dual loyalty trope, believing Jews are more loyal to Israel than to the UK, according to the latest Global 100 survey conducted by ADL (the Anti-Defamation League), which is the world's most extensive study of antisemitic attitudes.
The research also found that 46 percent of the world's adult population – an estimated 2.2 billion people – harbour deeply entrenched antisemitic attitudes, more than double compared to ADL's first worldwide survey a decade ago and the highest level on record since ADL started tracking these trends globally.
The poll of more than 58,000 adults from 103 countries and territories showed the UK specifically, and Western Europe in general, have also experienced a significant increase in antisemitic incidents since 7 October, 2023, when Hamas' attack on Israel sparked the country's 15-month war in Gaza.
12:08 , Tara Cobham
The King is visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau to mark the 80th anniversary of its liberation in what has been described as a 'deeply personal pilgrimage' on Holocaust Memorial Day.
As Charles becomes the first British head of state to visit the former Nazi concentration camp, a royal source told The Telegraph: 'While His Majesty has found many ways over the years to engage with survivors of the Holocaust, I know this visit to Auschwitz will be a particularly poignant one for him.
'That's not only because of the significance of the anniversary but as an opportunity for him to reflect on the many stories of suffering and courage he has heard from those who bore witness, in the very location where they took place.
'As anyone who has visited the camp can avow, it has a profound impact on the soul, bringing home both the scale of the horrors and the lessons that must be learned for eternity.
'In that sense, it will be a deeply personal pilgrimage for The King - paying tribute both as man and monarch.'
12:02 , Tara Cobham
Irish premier Micheal Martin has said we must 'remember and say never again' ahead of joining world leaders for a commemoration at Auschwitz to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Monday's commemoration has been described as a recommitment to denouncing and combating antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, intolerance, racism, and xenophobia.
The taoiseach said: 'Today, we remember the unique horrors of the Holocaust, in particular the extermination of six million jews from across Europe in the Nazi death camps.
'We remember also the Roma, the disabled, the political dissidents, the members of the LGBTQ community and all who were persecuted and murdered without mercy in the camps.'
'It is a particular honour to be here at what is probably the last significant anniversary at which survivors of the camps will be present in person.
'Though they are now all advanced in years, their memories of what happened in the camps – the profound loss of their family members and the destruction of Europe's vibrant Jewish communities – remain crystal clear and vivid.
'We owe it to them to ensure that now, and for all generations to come, we remember and say never again.'
11:36 , Tara Cobham
The Holocaust Educational Trust's chief executive has described how 'the lessons of the Holocaust remain as urgent as ever'.
Karen Pollock CBE said: 'This year, on Holocaust Memorial Day, we come together to mark 80 years since the liberation of the extermination and concentration camps of Europe. We remember the six million Jewish men, women, and children who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators and we honour those who survived and rebuilt their lives after enduring unimaginable horrors.
'The images and accounts that emerged at liberation revealed the full scale of the Nazis' attempt to annihilate the Jewish people and this gave rise to the enduring call 'Never Again.' This phrase embodies the hope that the Holocaust would serve as a stark warning to future generations of the consequences of unchecked hatred and antisemitism.
'As we mark this significant anniversary, the lessons of the Holocaust remain as urgent as ever. With survivors becoming fewer and frailer, and with antisemitism continuing to surge across the world – we must all commit to remembering the six million Jewish victims and must take action to ensure anti-Jewish racism is never again allowed to thrive.'
11:34 , Tara Cobham
The service at the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum and memorial is set to take place between 3pm and 5pm (UK time), with foreign monarchs, presidents, prime ministers and Holocaust survivors invited.
Alongside King Charles, the other dignitaries expected to attend include:
France's President Emmanuel Macron
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands
Spain's King Philip VI and Queen Letizia
Irish premier Micheal Martin
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Polish president Andrzej Duda
11:15 , Mala Tribich
Today, I am going to be at Auschwitz-Birkenau, 80 years after its gates were opened and the world learnt what was happening to us, the Jews of Europe.
I will stand at that place where a million people were murdered. People like me, like my family.
I will be standing with other survivors – many of whom were imprisoned in that ghastly place.
writes:
I still find it hard to believe that the Holocaust happened to us
11:00 , Tara Cobham
10:44 , Tara Cobham
Watch live: Holocaust survivors return to Auschwitz on 80th anniversary of liberation
10:35 , Tara Cobham
The King will travel to Poland to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau today.
Charles has been invited to a service at the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum and memorial with foreign monarchs, presidents, prime ministers and Holocaust survivors .
The ceremony will be held in front of the infamous gates of the former Nazi concentration camp which had the words Arbeit Macht Frei – 'work sets you free' – above it.
Auschwitz survivors will address the invited guests who are expected to include France's President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and Spain's King Philip VI and Queen Letizia.
Survivors will place a light in front of a freight train carriage – a symbol of the event – and the King with other heads of state and Government will lay lights in memory of those who died during the Holocaust.
After the ceremony Charles will walk through the gates to view personal items confiscated from victims when they entered the camp and lay a wreath at a reconstruction of the Death Wall, the site where several thousand people, mainly Polish political prisoners, were executed.
10:32 , Tara Cobham
Holocaust Memorial Day is a day for everyone to remember the millions of people lost in the Holocaust under Nazi Persecution.
More than a million people, mostly Jews but also Poles, Soviet prisoners of war and other nationalities, were murdered by the Nazis at Auschwitz-Birkenau during the Second World War as part of the Holocaust in which six million Jewish men, women and children were killed.
It is also a day to remember the genocides which followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur.
This year's theme is For a Better Future.
The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust details the 2025 theme: 'This Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp complex, and the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia.
'80 years on from the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, antisemitism (anti-Jewish hatred) has increased significantly in the UK and globally following the 7 October attacks in Israel by Hamas and the subsequent war in Gaza. Extremists are exploiting the situation to stir up anti-Muslim hatred in the UK. Many UK communities are feeling vulnerable, with hostility and suspicion of others rising. We hope that HMD 2025 can be an opportunity for people to come together, learn both from and about the past, and take actions to make a better future for all.
'There are many things we can all do to create a better future. We can speak up against Holocaust and genocide denial and distortion; we can challenge prejudice; we can encourage others to learn about the Holocaust and more recent genocides. There are some practical suggestions both at the end of this paper and here: Take Action for a Better Future.'
10:28 , Tara Cobham
Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated by soldiers of the 60th Army of the First Ukrainian Front.
They opened the gates of the Nazi concentration camp on 27 January 1945.
10:27 , Tara Cobham
More than a million people, mostly Jews but also Poles, Soviet prisoners of war and other nationalities, were murdered by the Nazis at Auschwitz-Birkenau during the Second World War.
The atrocities were committed as part of the Holocaust in which six million Jewish men, women and children were killed.
10:23 , Tara Cobham
The King will become the first British head of state to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau when he tours the former Nazi concentration camp to mark the 80th anniversary of its liberation.
Charles will travel to Poland to commemorate the milestone with foreign monarchs, presidents, prime ministers and Holocaust survivors invited to a service at the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum and memorial.
During a recent Buckingham Palace reception ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day – held annually on January 27, the day Auschwitz was liberated – the King said: 'I feel I must go for the 80th anniversary, (it's) so important.'