“For a Better Future” — Holocaust Memorial Day
by Emma Calcutt | Community Solidarity Stroud District
This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day held particular significance, marking both the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and the 30th anniversary of the Bosnian genocide.
Reflecting on the past serves as a powerful reminder: “Never Again” must not be an empty phrase. And yet, troubling signs of resurgent fascism are evident worldwide. Across the Atlantic, Nazi salutes have been openly displayed at political events without consequences, emboldening far-right ideologies.
When we first learned about the rise of Nazism in 20th Century Germany, the question we all asked was How? How could this have happened? Why didn't anyone stop it? Looking to the West as we see it now, where a man can deliver a Nazi salute on the world stage of the most powerful nation on earth to little more than a collective shrug and almost zero condemnation, the answer is plainly before us.
The ripple effects of these actions are already being felt in the UK.
Tim Dickinson
In Stroud, over the last few years we have witnessed a group calling themselves Project Libertas organising “alternative history” events celebrating Hitler’s birthday and promoting the antisemitic forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Meanwhile, The Light is only too eager to embrace Orwellian notions of freedom of speech to promote their dangerously misogynistic, racist and hateful conspiracies on the Stroud High Street.
In the 2024 General Election, the same people promoted and campaigned locally for an independent candidate, Saskia Whitfield, who has publicly posted explicitly antisemitic, homophobic, pro-Hitler and conspiratorial content on her social media accounts.
These troubling local developments highlight the importance of always taking a stand against hate and misinformation in all its forms.
antenna
The Importance of remembrance and of raising our voices
This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day event was hosted by Adam Horovitz and featured deeply moving and courageous speeches with speakers from many community, faith and anti-racist groups.
The overriding message from the event was that we are all bound by a common humanity and to forcefully resist the dehumanisation of our friends and neighbours.
We have to be ready to speak when others fall silent in the face of fascism and hostility.
The speakers, in order of appearance, were:
Liz Whiteside, Stroud District Together With Refugees
Liz Whiteside from Stroud District Together with Refugees
Tony Davey, the Mayor of Stroud Town
Andy Woolley from Stroud Trades Council
Steve Saville, Curate of Stroud Parish Churches
Joel Levy from Three Counties Liberal Jewish Community who read the Kaddish, the Jewish mourning prayer.
Mustafa Davies from the Stroud Muslim Prayer Hall
Colin Levine from Na’amod Gloucestershire, gave a powerful speech that brought all the threads of the event together, unblinkingly facing up to both the horrors of the Holocaust and the horrors of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Colin Levine from Na'amod
Rami Emad, Stroud resident and Syrian Refugee
Rami Emad
Ela Pathnak-Sen from Stroud Against Racism
Between them, they reminded attendees of the importance of learning from the past and speaking out against modern-day fascism. One of the most poignant contributions came from Syrian speaker, Rami Emad, who shared his experiences under the Assad regime. He emphasized the complicity of the global silence that enabled the regime’s atrocities, leading to widespread torture and the deaths of countless innocents.
“For the souls of all loved ones we’ve lost, and for the victims of all wars and holocausts, I won’t ask you to stand for a moment of silence,” he said.
“We’ve been silent long enough. Instead, I urge you to speak up loud and clear and truly mean it when you say, ‘Never Again.’”
antenna
Colin Levine was present representing Na’amod, a group that describes itself as "a movement of Jews in the UK seeking to end our community’s support for Israel's occupation and apartheid, and to mobilise it in the struggle for freedom, equality and justice for all Palestinians and Israelis”. Colin used his platform to draw attention to the ongoing plight of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
“It is unspeakably painful for me as a British Jew to reflect today that the State of Israel is breaching international law, committing war crimes, and even genocidal acts against innocent civilians in Gaza. The fight against the war criminals, racists, and hate-mongers of today is the only fitting memorial to the victims of past genocides.”
Ela Pathak-Sen from Stroud Against Racism recounted a personal story of overhearing a conversation between people at a table next to her where denigrating language towards Muslims was being used, and shared her feelings around her own inability to confront it or speak out at the time.
On reflection, knowing that she should have and reminding us that collectively we have a shared responsibility to do so.
She finished her piece by asking everyone in the room to take a moment to acknowledge each other's humanity:
“I am because you are”
Stroud Red Band played several thought-provoking pieces including a performance of “Zog nit keyn mol” which was especially moving. Written during World War II in the Vilna Ghetto, the Yiddish anthem is a declaration of resistance and hope:
“Never say that you’re going your last way… Our marching steps ring out: ‘We are here!’”
The Red Band closed the event out to the strains of the Internationale.
The memorial underscored the need for constant vigilance, education, and community action to combat hate and build solidarity.
Holocaust Memorial Day in Stroud serves not just as a moment of remembrance but as a rallying cry for action. By raising our voices, amplifying the stories of those who have endured persecution, and standing in solidarity against hate, the community renews its commitment to a future where Never Again becomes a reality.
The event was organised by Community Solidarity Stroud District, you can find out more about our work here:
The Stroud Radical Reading Group, which meets monthly, is one initiative working to address racism, fascism, and oppression while fostering community cohesion.
In February, the group will be discussing “Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism” by Shane Burley and Ben Lorber. The group welcomes all, even those who simply wish to listen and learn.
jbeecherblog
Amplify Stroud is supported by Dialect rural writers collective. Dialect offers mentorship, encouragement and self-study courses as well as publishing.
You can find out more at https://www.dialect.org.uk/
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