Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration 2008
Introduction:
The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2008 was "IMAGINE...remember, reflect, react". This challenges us all to imagine the unimaginable. It asks us to focus on the lives and experience of victims and survivors of the Holocaust; of Nazi persecution and of other genocides. It invites us to find new and creative ways to express this experience through art and media. It marvels at the resilience of enterprise, culture and of life itself in the face of destruction. Ultimately it is a call to action for us all to:
- Remember the past
- Reflect on the present
- React to create a better future.
History:
The theme provides opportunities to focus on these experiences in a more personal way. As we consider our own experiences and the realities of our own lives we can take that first step of understanding more about the victims and survivors, rescuers and bystanders, of the Holocaust and more recent genocides. The aim is to begin a potentially transformative process that will enable us to make changes to the way that we act towards other people, thus creating a more inclusive society. Small individual actions taken together can make a big difference. Just imagine what we can achieve by working together.
Remember the past:
- Imagine...life as a persecuted minority in Europe between 1933-39 as laws are introduced restricting your employment, movement, and right to property and assembly.
- Imagine...life as a persecuted minority under the Nazis as a Roma; gay man or lesbian; black person; disabled person; or a political opponent of the Nazis.
- Imagine...how to remember the lives and experiences of those groups targeted by Nazi racial policies for whom there are no survivors who can speak today.
- Imagine...the experience of the victims of recent genocides in Rwanda, the Balkans or other genocides.
- Imagine...you are the only person left alive from your community and how it might feel to try to reconstruct your culture, religion and way of life in a hostile environment.
Reflect on the present:
- Imagine...a future without Holocaust survivors to tell and teach us of their experiences first hand.
- Imagine...the lives of those currently targeted for genocide, such as in Darfur.
- Imagine...the fears of asylum seekers looking for safety from terror.
- Imagine...what potential was lost from the death of the millions in the Holocaust and other genocides.
React to create a better future:
- Imagine...what you can do to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive.
- Imagine...how it feels to be a Holocaust survivor and listening to the Holocaust being denied and reading about, seeing or experiencing anti-Semitism today.
- Imagine...how you can make a positive difference in your school and community.
- Imagine...a better future...ours to share...ours to create.
