60th anniversary is a time to remember

January 27 2005 marks Holocaust Memorial Day, and is the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the former Nazi concentration and extermination camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau.

In order to commemorate this event, Herefordshire Equality Partnership is hosting an exhibition about the camp, which will include information on the many different groups who perished there, and testimonies from survivors and their descendants.

This exhibition is one of a multitude of international events marking Holocaust Memorial Day.

The main aims of the Day are to remember victims of the Holocaust, to educate about the dangers of all forms of discrimination, and to promote community cohesion.

The exhibition will be held at All Saints Church, Hereford, January 27-29. It will be open from 8.30am-5.30pm, and entrance is free.

Neville Meredith, Race Equality Officer for the Herefordshire Equality Partnership, said: “Whilst much is known about the experience of Jewish people in the camps, less is known about the many other groups who were affected, such as Gypsies and homosexuals.

“The exhibition explores the horrific experience through the eyes of survivors, and the images portrayed are stark and intense,” he added.

The exhibition also seeks to present a more positive and contemporary side to the issue, and includes references to the 2004 “March of the Living” which took place at Auschwitz on 19 April 2004 involving survivors and their descendants.

As part of the build up to Holocaust Memorial Day, Herefordshire Equality Partnership and Hereford College of Art and Design held a poster-designing competition for students at the college.

The winner, Matthew Preece, will receive a cheque for £100 from Herefordshire Equality Partnership and will have his poster displayed to raise the profile of Holocaust Memorial Day.