Holocaust Memorial Day service to be held for Great Yarmouth borough residents

The short civic ceremony is taking place on January 27^th at the Jewish section of Yarmouth Old Cemetery, on Kitchener Road. Rev Canon Simon Ward of Great Yarmouth minster will lead the ceremony, which begins at 11am.

The yearly commemoration service will include a two-minute silence and the traditional passing of bread, as a token of remembrance. Cllr Michael Jeal, the mayor, will also lay a wreath on behalf of the residents of the borough.

The borough's three Jewish burial places, including Caister Borough Cemetery, off Ormesby Road, and Blackfriars Jewish Cemetery, on Blackfriars Road, will be open from dawn to dusk on the day, for those who wish to pay their respects in private.

National charity Holocaust Memorial Day Trust promotes Holocaust Memorial Day; a day for everyone to remember the millions of innocent Jews killed in the Holocaust, as well as the following massacres in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

The date of January 27 is important as it marks the liberation of the largest Nazi death camp, Auschwitz Birkenau, in 1945. The theme of this year's Holocaust Memorial Day is "Stand Together", which encourages people to reflect on how genocidal regimes throughout history have purposely broken societies by segregating certain groups, and how this can be confronted by individuals speaking out against oppression.

Cllr Jeal said: "Holocaust Memorial Day 2020 is a significant milestone as it marks the 75^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and 25 years since the Genocide in Bosnia.

"As a borough, the event of Holocaust Memorial Day is important as it gives the community the opportunity to pay our respects to those who lost their lives in the Holocaust.

"It also gives us an opportunity to honour those who survived and ensure that future generations remember the human tragedy of the Holocaust."