Lesson of the Holocaust still relevant today - Kelly

Gerry Kelly at the Regional Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration held in Stormont

SPEAKING as he attended ceremonies to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, Six County Junior Minister and leading Sinn Féin member Gerry Kelly said that it is vital that young people “do not forget the Holocaust and the suffering of its victims and survivors”.
“The lessons it teaches us are as relevant today as they were 60 years ago and even now when we are living in peace, we must guard against the evils of prejudice and discrimination”, Kelly said.
He continued:
“Within the increasingly diverse society here we have found that ethnic minorities and migrant workers have become targets for prejudice.
“Holocaust Memorial Day challenges us to remember the horrors of the past, to reflect on our own attitudes to those who differ from us and to react positively to create a better future for ourselves and our children in a society where differences are respected.”
The Junior Minister was speaking at the Regional Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration held in Parliament Buildings, on Thursday last, in front of an audience including members of the local Jewish Community as well as representatives from local ethnic minority and other groups.
The theme for the commemoration this year is “Imagine – remember, reflect, react”
Minister Kelly also announced that the Holocaust Educational Trust’s “Lessons from Auschwitz” project would be extended here for the first time in 2008. The project will enable young people to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau in order to explore the universal lessons of the Holocaust and its relevance for today.
The Holocaust Memorial Day was initiated seven years ago to ensure that the crimes committed against humanity during the Holocaust are never forgotten, particularly by younger generations.