Photo - Alan Mak signs Holocaust Book of Commitment
Havant MP Alan Mak honoured the victims and survivors of the Holocaust by signing the Holocaust Memorial Day Book of Commitment. The book, produced by the Holocaust Educational Trust, pledges to uphold the memory of those who endured racial abuse, imprisonment and genocide in the Holocaust of the Second World War, and to pay tribute to their extraordinary bravery and kindness.
Alongside his fellow Members of Parliament, Mak added his signature to the Book of Commitment in preparation for Holocaust Memorial Day on Wednesday 27 January. The date signifies the anniversary of the final liberation of the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau by Allied Forces in January 1945.
In the weeks leading up to and after Holocaust Memorial Day, thousands of commemorative events will be arranged by schools, faith groups and community organisations across the country, remembering all the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides.
Mr Mak said: “this book is a sombre but very significant reminder of the terrible brutality and losses endured in the Holocaust. It is vital that we do not forget the lessons of the past, and that is why I am signing the Holocaust Memorial Day Book of Commitment, to pay tribute to both the survivors and victims of this terrible chapter in our recent history.”
Mak added: “we cannot pretend that such horrors and injustices never took place. It is important to educate people about these events, and I am hugely supportive of the work being done by the Holocaust Educational Trust to spread this message.”
“I will be visiting Auschwitz myself this year, where I hope both to learn more about these tragic events and to pay my respects to those who suffered.”
Karen Pollock MBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: “We are proud that Alan is supporting Holocaust Memorial Day. As we mark the 71st anniversary of the end of the Holocaust and the liberation of the concentration camps, it is vitally important that we both continue to remember and learn from the appalling events of the Holocaust – as well as ensuring that we continue to challenge anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry.”