Holocaust Memorial Day: How communities ensure future generations don't forget lessons of the past

Jewish memorials, such as those found at museums or sites of historical significance, offer tangible spaces for remembrance. They stand as testaments to Jewish history, lives and faith.

On Holocaust Memorial Day, marked in the UK every year on 27 January, these monuments serve not only as physical reminders of the victims of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution, they also underscore the vital role of commemoration in ensuring this horrifying chapter of our shared past is never forgotten.

As time distances us from these events, preserving survivors’ testimonies becomes even more important, both to honour their experiences and to educate future generations about the lessons they teach us. Alongside these accounts, artefacts like letters, clothing and instruments are powerful resources for education and commemoration. Their preservation is increasingly urgent as the number of survivors sadly decreases over time.

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This academic year, I became a Next Gen Ambassador for the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT), with the opportunity to learn firsthand how Jewish exhibits and Holocaust commemoration events are developed and delivered in the UK. This experience led me to wonder, however, do Jewish museums exist because of the Holocaust and its violence, or do they celebrate life and culture? Would they exist without the events of the 20th century?

Many Jewish institutions and places of remembrance, such as the Jewish Museum Berlin, were founded after 1945, once the devastations of the Holocaust were revealed. The Holocaust also fundamentally reshaped the missions of Jewish museums that had existed before 1945. The Jewish Museum of Vienna, for example, originally established in 1895, was reconfigured in the 1990s to incorporate the history of the Holocaust. Other museums in Germany and Austria were similarly created to educate predominantly non-Jewish audiences, and so they often focus more on Jewish suffering than on the celebration and continuity of Jewish cultural life.

Light and darkness play an equal part in Jewish history. The challenge, however, is how to honour culture without minimising tragedy.

Survivor testimonies can help to meet this challenge. Peter Lantos BEM, born in Hungary in 1939, was just five years old when he and his parents were deported to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. His father was murdered there, but Peter and his mother survived until the camp was liberated. Peter went on to build an incredible medical career and became an acclaimed author. Life stories like Peter’s can help educate people about the dangers of prejudice and highlight the importance of our shared humanity.

Jewish museums also play their part in education, although they often showcase the past as “the before and after”. Today, modern Judaism celebrates Jewish culture in all forms and is made more precious because of the knowledge that less than 100 years ago, communities were subjected to systematic persecution, violence and mass murder, and our culture was almost erased. It is this legacy that now brings us closer together.

Today, community organisations and charities like the HMDT are working to educate the public across diverse settings, from schools and libraries to prisons and cinemas. Their learning resources and exhibits are helping teach future generations about the atrocities of the Holocaust and other genocides, as well as the importance of remembrance.

As a young person who is Jewish, I understand what it feels like to live with generational trauma and grandparents and tales of great-grandparents who have struggled to talk openly about the persecution they faced due to the hurt. Remembrance to me is about keeping their experiences alive. It’s not just an act of looking back, it guides us towards a better future.

This year, join HMDT in marking Holocaust Memorial Day by lighting a candle safely in your window at 8pm on 27 January. This symbol reminds us that even a glimmer of light can be found in the darkest of places.

Take the opportunity to visit a local place of worship, explore museums or memorials, or learn the history of your community. Whatever small acts of remembrance we can make are more important now than ever.

Molly Phillips is the vice president of her university’s Jewish Society. In 2025, she took part in the March of the Living, visiting key sites of remembrance in Poland, including Auschwitz-Birkenau, alongside Holocaust survivors. She is also a graduate of the Union of Jewish Students’ Leadership Fellowship, a year-long programme focused on leadership development and Jewish identity. Last year, she joined HMDT’s Next Gen Ambassador programme, empowering young people aged 18 to 25 to be a voice of the future and a bridge between generations.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

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