UCL marks Holocaust Memorial Day 2023

Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) is a global day of observance taking place annually on 27 January. HMD is held in remembrance of the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust, alongside millions of others killed under Nazi persecution and during later genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. Inviting us to come together to remember and honour victims and survivors of genocide, HMD calls on people and governments around the world to reaffirm our commitment to preventing such atrocities from happening in the future.

Held in the UK annually since 2001, HMD has a specific theme each year. The theme this year – ‘Ordinary People’ – aims to encourage us to consider how ordinary people, such as ourselves, play a bigger part than we might imagine in combating prejudice and creating a more just and compassionate world.

To mark the day and raise awareness about the Holocaust, a range of activities are taking place at UCL. On 27 January the Portico building will be lit purple to mark the day, and UCL will be taking part in the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust’s #LightTheDarkness campaign on social media.

Please see below for our current list of scheduled events, as well as key resources around Holocaust education.

Events

24 January – [ONLINE/FOR ALL]: Remembering Jewish Ukraine in the context of empire and war | BOOK NOW

This special Lunch Hour Lecture marks Holocaust Memorial Day 2022 with a discussion of how Ukrainian and Jewish cultures, though facing struggles with asserting themselves within repressive imperial contexts, managed to find surprising moments of dialogue.

26 January – [IN PERSON/FOR ALL]: Holocaust Memorial Day Live Survivor Testimony Broadcast | BOOK NOW

Mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2023 by hearing Holocaust survivor Ruth Posner BEM share her testimony. The event will be hosted by the UCL Jewish Society, who will speak on the importance of Holocaust remembrance and how this feeds into tackling contemporary antisemitism.

26 January – [IN PERSON/FOR STUDENTS]: Holocaust Memorial Day 2023: Survival, Trauma, Silence | BOOK NOW

Join us for a screening of the documentary 'Safer in Silence' by author Corinne Chateau, followed by a panel discussion with Corinne, Holocaust survivor Agnes Kaposi, Chief Historian Antony Polonsky and Professor of Modern Jewish History, François Guesnet.

Podcasts and recordings

Leon Greenman and the struggle for survival | LISTEN HERE

To commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day 2022, UCL's Centre for Holocaust Education launched a podcast episode on one survivor’s experiences and the impact he has had on thousands of people around the world.

Nazi Persecution and the Quest for Justice | WATCH HERE

In this Lunch Hour Lecture, Professor Mary Fulbrook discusses approaches taken by post-war states, societies and individuals to the persecution of European Jews and other victim groups. The lecture is based on her book Reckonings: Legacies of Nazi Persecution and the Quest for Justice, which won the prestigious Wolfson History Prize in 2019.

New writings on the Holocaust | LISTEN HERE

A conversation between the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education and Dr Alex Kay – author of Empire of Destruction: A History of Nazi Mass Killing – this podcast episode aims to help bring the latest academic research on the Holocaust into the classroom.

Research-informed practice for History and Holocaust Education | LISTEN HERE

This podcast episode sees Dr Humera Iqbal being joined by the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education’s Dr Alice Pettigrew, who has led research into national studies examining students’ knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust.