The liberation of notorious Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau will be commemorated at Leeds’ annual Holocaust Memorial Day event.
Leeds Town Hall will host the solemn programme of events on January 27 to mark what was a pivotal day in European history.
The event at 2pm, hosted by the Lord Mayor of Leeds Councillor Ann Castle, will feature speakers, live music and performances to honour the day 68 years ago when the notorious camp in Poland was liberated by allied troops.
The Lord Mayor will light a candle to commemorate all those affected by the Holocaust as well as more recent genocides in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur.
The Reverend David Wilkes will be the keynote speaker at the event, under the banner Communities Together: Build a Bridge.
Members of The Carriageworks Theatre Academy have also met with and interviewed a refugee and are working with Theatre Company Blah Blah Blah to produce a performance for the event.
Leeds City Council will also be hosting a free film screening of The Counterfeiters at Seven Arts in Chapel Allerton on Thursday January 24 at 7pm.
A photography exhibition in Leeds Town Hall called Landscapes of Memory has also been organised.
The exhibition is made up of a photographic study of Holocaust memorials in the UK and across Europe.
It has been produced by Dr Kate Vigurs as part of a research project funded by Leeds Humanities Research Institute at the University of Leeds.
The exhibition will be open to the public from January 27 to February 28.
Lord Mayor of Leeds Councillor Ann Castle said: “Holocaust Memorial Day is an important way of remembering the past and bringing communities together to try and change the future, so we look forward to another well-attended event at Leeds Town Hall.”
The event is coordinated in Leeds by Leeds City Council’s arts development team.
Visit: www.leeds.gov.uk/arts for more information.
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