The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust have created booklets which contain information about each genocide that is marked on Holocaust Memoria Day and other experiences of individuals who faced persecution.
You can downlaod and print a booklet yourself, or pick one up from Lancaster University Library.
The Wiener Holocaust Library is one of the world’s leading and most extensive archives on the Holocaust, the Nazi era and genocide. The Library’s unique collection of over one million items includes published and unpublished works, press cuttings, photographs and eyewitness testimony.
The Library has a range of digital resources with physical collections housed in London:
The Wiener Holocaust Library
29 Russell Square
London WC1B 5DP
Holocaust Memorial Day takes place each year on 27 January.
Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) is the international day on 27 January to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of other people killed under Nazi persecution of other groups and in genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
27 January marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.
The Holocaust threatened the fabric of civilisation, and genocide must still be resisted every day. Our world often feels fragile and vulnerable and we cannot be complacent. Even in the UK, prejudice and the language of hatred must be challenged by us all.
HMD is for everyone. Each year across the UK, thousands of people come together to learn more about the past and take action to create a safer future. We know they learn more, empathise more and do more.
Together we bear witness for those who endured genocide, and honour the survivors and all those whose lives were changed beyond recognition.
For more information about Holocaust Memorial Day and the work of the Holocaust Memorial Trust, visit Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.
Every year, a theme is selected for Holocaust Memorial Day. The theme for 2023 is 'Ordinary People'.
This highlights the ordinary people who let genocide happen, the ordinary people who actively perpetrated genocide, and the ordinary people who were persecuted.
Ordinary people were involved in all aspects of the Holocaust, Nazi persecution of other groups, and in the genocides that took place in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
Ordinary people were perpetrators, bystanders, rescuers, witnesses - and ordinary people were victims.
The theme also prompts us to consider how ordinary people, such as ourselves, can perhaps play a bigger part than we might imagine in challenging prejudice today. We are all ordinary people today who can be extraordinary in our actions. We can all make decisions to challenge prejudice, stand up to hatred, to speak out against identity-based persecution, to shop responsibly.
Lancaster University Library recognises the importance of Holocaust Memorial Day, a day dedicated to encourage remembrance in a world scarred by genocide.
Events and activities will include:
Showcasing relevant books from our collection, alongside a display providing information about each genocide that is marked on Holocaust Memorial Day and highlighting the personal stories of those who have experienced genocide (Library entrance from Monday 23rd – Monday 30th January)
A film screening and discussion of ‘The Book Thief’ on Thursday 26th January from 6pm in the Library Events Space (for staff and students at Lancaster University)
A Holocaust Memorial Day “Lancaster University Reads…” university-wide virtual book club of Lily’s Promise by Lily Ebert (available as an ebook and audio book through the Libby app) from January 23rd – February 12th
A resource list of Library materials relevant to the Holocaust
A collection of ebooks and audiobooks relating to the Holocaust on the Libby leisure reading app
A curated playlist of your suggestions in our Holocaust Memorial Day 2023 – Lancaster University Library playlist of films, documentaries and interviews on Box of Broadcast (BoB)
We welcome suggestions for library resources, including books, films and documentaries. Please email library@lancaster.ac.uk to share your suggestions, or request books and ebooks via the Request a Resource form
