22/01/21 

A recording of this year's annual Wales National Ceremony to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day is being made available on Cardiff Council's YouTube channel.

Released on January 27, 2021 to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, the recording captures the inter-faith service conducted by The Reverend Canon Stewart Lisk, Honorary Chaplain to Cardiff Council.

In recent years, Cardiff Council and Welsh Government have jointly hosted the Wales National Ceremony to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day Wales at City Hall. Due to the national Coronavirus restrictions, the City Hall event will not be taking place this year, so a recorded commemoration is being made available online to offer an opportunity for participation at home.

The recording will be available from 11am, Wednesday January 27 2021, at  www.youtube.com/cardiffcouncil.

Holocaust Memorial Day is an international day of remembrance for victims of the Holocaust and other genocides. The day honours the survivors and remembers those who have lost their lives. It is held on January 27 every year, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

The theme of Holocaust Memorial Day 2021 is ‘Be the light in the darkness', an ask from the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust for everyone to consider different kinds of ‘darkness', for example, identity-based persecution, misinformation, denial of justice; and different ways of ‘being the light', for example, resistance, acts of solidarity, rescue and illuminating mistruths. The Trust invites members of the public to light a candle in their windows at 8pm on Wednesday, January 27, creating a national moment to light the darkness.

Contributors to this year's recorded Wales National Ceremony include, Leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Huw Thomas, The First Minister, The Rt. Hon. Mark Drakeford MS, and The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Cllr Rod McKerlich.

The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Cllr Rod McKerlich said: "Holocaust Memorial Day brings the atrocities of the Holocaust and genocides into sharp focus. It provides a powerful reminder that such terrible acts of persecution, driven by antisemitism, racism, xenophobia and discrimination are tragically not consigned to the pages of history, but continue today. We may not be able to physically gather this year, but we still come together to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2021, reaffirming our shared responsibility to fight these evils."

Leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Huw Thomas, said: "We mark Holocaust Memorial Day to remember the victims and honour the survivors of the Holocaust and all genocides perpetrated since. Those horrors must have a permanent place in our collective memory, so that we and future generations understand the causes and reflect upon the consequences. Together, in this annual commemoration, we stand against those that believe that race, religion, disability or sexuality somehow makes a life worth less than theirs. In lighting the darkness we show our determination to combat persecution, misinformation, and the denial of justice."

The First Minister, The Rt. Hon. Mark Drakeford MS, said: "This year we are having to mark Holocaust Memorial Day differently but it is important we mark these poignant milestones, to reflect on how we can learn from these terrible events and do all we can, as individuals, communities and friends, to show solidarity with those who still suffer persecution."

The UK Commemorative Ceremony for National Holocaust Memorial Day will take place at 7pm on January 27, 2021. To register to watch the ceremony, visit  hmdt.geteventaccess.com/registration.

In support of the Lighting the Darkness national moment, buildings and landmarks will be lit in purple.