PEOPLE packed into St Mary’s Guildhall last Friday (January 27) for a poignant service marking Holocaust Memorial Day.
This year’s event theme, chosen by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, was ordinary people.
The theme encouraged people to highlight the ordinary people who let genocide happen, those who actively perpetrated genocide, and those who were persecuted.
The service began with addresses from Coventry City Council deputy leader Coun Abdul Salam Khan and Lord Mayor Coun Kevin Maton.
Lord mayor of Coventry coun. Kevin Maton. Picture by Marcus Mingins 0523006MMR9 copyright Bullivant Media
These opening exchanges saw the councillors reflect on Coventry’s history of offering the hand of friendship to other cities in times of war and peace.
Holocaust survivor and Kindertransport child John Fieldsend was the main guest speaker, who told his remarkable story to the audience and showed them what they could learn from history.
Holocaust survivor John Fieldsend reads a letter from his parents. Picture by Marcus Mingins 0523006MMR7 copyright Bullivant Media
Andrij IIchychyn performed a Ukrainian reading about Holodomor, a man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine between 1932 and 1933 which killed millions of people.
Andrij Ilchychyn talks about Ukraine. Picture by Marcus Mingins 0523006MMR5 copyright Bullivant Media
Both speakers also took part in question and answer sessions.
Eden School students read the poignant poems they wrote for the memorial day event, with each piece highlighting how young people can both remember the past and learn important lessons from history.
Poems from Eden School. Picture by Marcus Mingins 0523006MMR4 copyright Bullivant Media
Coventry University Students Union Education Officer Bianca Andrei spoke about her visit to Auschwitz, and the
Coventry Voice Squad and the Coventry Music Brass Quintet provided music.
Bianca Andrei (Coventry University Student Union Education Officer). Picture by Marcus Mingins 0523006MMR3 copyright Bullivant Media
Voice Squad sing Al Shloshar D’Varim. Picture by Marcus Mingins 0523006MMR6 copyright Bullivant Media
And the service ended with final words and a candle lighting led by Coun Khan.
Coun. Adbul Khan lights the candle. Picture by Marcus Mingins 0523006MMR copyright Bullivant Media
He said: “Coventry is known throughout the world as a welcoming city of peace where people of all races and religions are welcome. Holocaust Memorial Day remains a very important event to Coventry and the people of the city.”
“Many of the people we have welcomed and continue to welcome here, have escaped persecution in their home countries and I am proud of the contribution and support we have made to help people make Coventry their new home.”
Holocaust Memorial Day was founded 23 years ago when 46 governments committed to preserving the memory of those who died in the atrocities.
