Tendring District Council (TDC) will host a Holocaust memorial service in Clacton later this month.

This Holocaust Memorial Day marks the 80th anniversary on which Auschwitz-Birkenau – the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp – was liberated, and the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia.

This year’s theme – set by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust – is For a Better Future. It encourages people across the UK to learn about the Holocaust and more recent genocides, to help identify warning signs and create a more inclusive future that challenges prejudice.

Harvey Newman from the Colchester and District Jewish Community will lead the service and be joined by TDC Chairman Dan Casey on Monday, 27 January from 11am to 11.30am at the Sunken Rose Garden on Marine Parade West.

Councillor Casey said: “This service provides a moment of reflection to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust and the millions of people killed under Nazi Persecution and in subsequent genocides in Bosnia, Cambodia, Darfur, Rwanda, and the Yazidi genocide.

“Holocaust Memorial Day remains essential because genocide continues to occur. Around the world, innocent people still face discrimination, persecution and violence because of their ethnicity, faith, gender or sexuality. This day reminds us to stand together against acts of genocide wherever they occur.

“Holocaust Memorial Day is for everyone. We typically have representatives from various religious groups join us to pay their respects, and we hope to see that happen again.”

This service marks the debut of the Holocaust Memorial Stone since it was installed in September last year – facilitated by the Colchester and District Jewish Community Synagogue – to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust.

For those unable to attend, TDC plans to provide a livestream of the service on the Tendring District Council Facebook page.

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