Holocaust Memorial Day 2015

You may have seen the title of this post and thought, "why is she posting about that?" or "isn't this supposed to be a fashion blog?" or many will have just scrolled past because it's not a nice little outfit post to look at. As I've mentioned before, it's important to remember the past in order to learn from your mistakes and that can be on a personal level or a larger level like the Holocaust. It surprises me how many people don't know what the Holocaust is all about so if you don't know or are a bit unsure go and read this.

Today, the 27th January, is Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) and is also the day of the liberation Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi Death Camp. Today is a day where we should all just take a few moments out of our day to stop and think of the millions died as a result of Nazi persecution. The HMD trust wishes for today to be a day for us to also stop and think about those who have died in subsequent genocides such as in Rwanda, Cambodia and Bosnia as we all often think that the Holocaust was a single and unique event when in reality, it has happened time and time again. The wider message of Holocaust Memorial Day and this blog post is that genocide doesn't just happen. It comes about as a result of gradual building up of hatred and discrimination. Something that we all know is still prominent in today's society across the globe.  


What makes today even more prominent is that 27th January 2015 marks 70 years since the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp was liberated. 70 years on and we still don't know how to live in a society without racism, without discrimination despite seeing its effects over and over again. This year the HMD trust has chosen its theme to be, 'keep the memory alive' in the aim to put the survivors at the heart of the memorial day. Having met two survivors, Kazimierz Piechowski (who escaped from Auschwitz) and Zigi Shipper (the loveliest man in existence), it is safe to say that they are extraordinary people and after everything they have suffered, their stories should be remembered. I think the most memorable thing I learnt from Zigi was not to hate anybody because hating people is tiring and no good will ever come from it and I think that's the message we should take from HMD. 

If you don't know much about the Holocaust or if you want to know more then the BBC are running a series of programmes in commemoration so please watch them because I think it's a topic everyone should know about and the amount of people who don't know what it is is astounding. 

Don't forget to like my Facebook page and follow me on bloglovin and instagram: amyleehaynes!

Comments

  1. This is what I've been thinking but could never find the right words. I think it's so important we remember and take a moment to think or read about it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. 50 years, it's strange because it's not that long ago and yet racism and everything still happens. mad. i've watched all the holocaust documentaries..so interesting x

    ReplyDelete
  3. 50 years on? Pretty sure it's 70...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I 100% knew that it was 70, as I was looking at the HMD site and for some reason wrote 50. That's why you shouldn't write blogposts when you're angry that people don't commemorate it!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Thanks for commenting, I will reply to your comment but you can also tweet me at @amyleehaynes or e-mail me at: amyleehaynes@hotmail.co.uk

Popular Posts