Details of NI Holocaust Memorial Day announced

The Office of the First and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) and Derry City Council today confirmed that a series of events will be held in Northern Ireland to mark the commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day.

The main commemoration event is to be held on Sunday January 23 in the Waterside Theatre, Londonderry with the theme - 'Survivors, Liberation and Rebuilding Lives' in a year which also marks the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and of the ending of World War II.

A spokesperson for OFMDFM said: "The theme - 'Survivors, Liberation and Rebuilding Lives' is reflected throughout the series of events. These include a workshop and talk in the Belfast Synagogue, which focuses on how Jewish refugees rebuilt their lives and established businesses in Northern Ireland, after the Holocaust."

A number of free cinema screenings and workshops will also take place in the Nerve Centre in Derry, to relate the experiences endured in the Holocaust.

"The focus on survivors this year, provides us all with the opportunity to learn and reflect on their experiences and also to remember the importance and significance of this anniversary," said the spokesperson.

The first Holocaust Memorial Day was held in 2001, on the anniversary of the liberation of the former Nazi extermination camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, with the National Commemoration in London.

Northern Ireland has since held regional events in Belfast in 2002 and Armagh in 2003. Organisers say that this year’s event marks a special milestone as it is the 60th anniversary of the ending of World War II.

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