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UCL Centre for Holocaust Education marks Holocaust Memorial Day
27 January 2020
Representatives from the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education have attended a national ceremony to mark Holocaust Memorial Day today (27 January).
The ceremony, organised by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, follows on from a small ceremony the Centre hosted on 23 January.
The theme of this year’s commemoration is ‘Stand Together’. The Centre, based at UCL Institute of Education (IOE), has published several written pieces on this theme which draw on people’s personal experiences of the Second World War and the importance of Holocaust teaching and learning.
The blogs include:
- A piece written by Lord Alf Dubs on his personal experience of being torn from home and how it has shaped his concern for refugees today;
- Recollections from Barbara Winton on her father, Sir Nicholas Winton, and his pre- and post-war experiences;
- A piece by Dr Alice Pettigrew which contextualises the work of the Centre and the landscape of Holocaust teaching and learning over the past ten years;
- A short statement by Sir Ben Helfgott on his life and mission and the need to stand together;
- Insight by Headteacher George Croxford into working with the Centre and teaching pupils and the community about the Holocaust.
The Centre for Holocaust Education has partnered with 1000 teachers across the country and 138 Beacon Schools to support teachers on Holocaust education in the classroom.
Professor Stuart Foster, Executive Director of the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education, said:
“We live in increasingly troubled times. A sharp rise in antisemitism, hate crime, Islamophobia, extremism and other acts of intolerance, prejudice and discrimination pose a real threat to our cherished democracy and civil society. This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day theme, ‘Stand Together’ is apposite because it offers a powerful reminder to individuals, organisations and government of the urgent need to collectively challenge and ‘stand up’ to these poisonous influences.
“In particular, the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education is committed to supporting schools, teachers and the communities and children they serve in confronting these serious threats. More than 12,000 teachers have participated in our courses. Across the country we continue to equip a diverse range of educators with the skills, resources, understanding and pedagogical expertise to address the challenges we face today. We are proud to ‘stand together’ with these teachers and their students to ensure we live in a more knowledgeable, tolerant and empathetic society.”
Links
- #StandTogether for Holocaust Memorial Day 2020
- UCL Centre for Holocaust Education
- Department of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
- View Professor Stuart Foster’s research profile
Image
- Credit: Anders Thirsgaard Rasmussen via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)