Holocaust Memorial Day 2022

Leader of the Council, Ruth Dombey's column for Sutton Scene, Friday 28 January 2022.

Thursday was a very special day. Holocaust Memorial Day is a day when we pause and take some time to remember the millions of people murdered during the Holocaust under Nazi Persecution and then in the terrible genocides in following years in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

It's an opportunity for us to learn from the past and to be thankful for the freedoms and privileges we have today. 

It is important that we learn from the past but we must also think about what is going on in the world today, and take the opportunity to reflect on how we treat each other. My hope is for a safer and more inclusive future for us all. But sadly acts of discrimination, racism and hatred are still a part of today’s society. 

Because of the ongoing difficulties caused by the Covid pandemic, rather than holding an event in a school as we usually do, we put together a special film featuring a very special Sutton resident, Mrs Eve Gill. 

The theme for this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is ‘One Day’, and Eve tells us about how her life was changed forever on ‘one day’ in March 1938, when German troops marched into Austria and the country was annexed into Nazi Germany. She tells her fascinating and harrowing story about leaving Austria on the kindertransport to start a new life in the UK. 

Eve's determination to survive and her optimism and hope for the future are an inspiration for us all. I hope you'll watch the video - I know you'll be as moved as I was.

Councillor Ruth Dombey