Theresa Villiers, Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet, joined residents, Barnet school children, Barnet councillors and her colleagues Mike Freer and Matthew Offord at the borough’s annual commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day.
The Commemorative Service is an annual event in Barnet and took place on Sunday 29th January at Middlesex University. The service involved prayers, readings in English and Hebrew, recitation of psalms and the Kaddisch, and performances from local choirs.
Children from St Michael’s Catholic Grammar School read from Barnet’s Statement of Commitment, which concludes “We in Barnet condemn the evils of prejudice, discrimination and racism, and value the right for all to live in a free, tolerant and democratic society”.
At the beginning of the service, the Holocaust Memorial Candle was lit by Reverend Bernd Koschland, a Barnet resident who as a child in 1939 escaped Nazi Germany on the Kindertransport. Thanks to this, he and his sister survived the Holocaust. Other speakers included Dr Sheila Gewolb, Vice President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Professor Tim Blackman, Vice Chancellor of Middlesex University, the Mayor of Barnet Councillor David Longstaff, and Leader of Barnet Council, Richard Cornelius.
Theresa Villiers said: “For many in Barnet the Holocaust is not ancient history but something which had a huge impact on them or their relatives. It is always moving to hear speakers at this annual Barnet event reflecting on the Holocaust and paying tribute to its millions of victims. Holocaust Memorial Day is more than a commemoration, it is a reminder not to let the horrors of the past happen again.
“All attendees heard the Barnet Statement of Commitment: to ensure the Holocaust has a permanent place in our nation’s memory, to strive to ensure that future generations are aware of the Holocaust and all acts of genocide, to do our utmost to make sure that the lessons learned from these events are fully understood.”