Five ways to mark HMD at your college or university
Eli Sassoon, who is a member of our youth forum, has written our latest blog post with tips on marking Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) at your college or university. Eli outlines five keys ways young people can take part.
Young people at South College Durham mark Holocaust Memorial Day
Hi, I’m Eli, a student at the University of Nottingham and a member of HMDT’s Youth Forum. Below are five simple ways to mark HMD this year on campus.
1. Organise an HMD activity with your university or college
HMD is just around the corner, but HMDT has lots of resources designed to support you to organise a simple activity. You could organise a film screening, get a group together for a poetry reading, or host a digital display of HMDT’s [Extra]Ordinary Portraits exhibition. There is a handy Get involved guide for colleges and universities that HMDT has published to help you out too!
Don’t forget to add your HMD activity to HMDT’s activity map.
2. Run a workshop focusing on teenagers persecuted by the Nazis
For HMD 2023, I worked with another member of HMDT’s Youth Forum, Barnabas Balint, to create a resource about young people during the Holocaust. This resource highlights the stories of 12 ordinary young people affected by the Holocaust through their own testimonies, diary entries, and poetry. The resource encourages discussion and helps develop empathy with those who have suffered persecution. It can be facilitated as an exhibition or as a workshop. No previous knowledge of the Holocaust is needed to participate in or run this activity.
You can download and view the resource and guide using the button below. If you would like to display the larger version for A3, A2 or A1 or more for information please email [email protected]
3. Watch the HMD 2023 UK Online Commemoration
Join us and watch the HMD 2023 UK Online Commemoration for Holocaust Memorial Day. Register below to watch it live (or the recording) on Thursday 26 January 2023 at 7pm.
4. Join the nation and #LightTheDarkness
At 4pm on Friday 27 January, join thousands across the country to Light the Darkness. Households across the UK will be lighting candles and putting them in their windows to:
– Remember those who were murdered simply for who they were
– Stand against prejudice, hatred and discrimination today
You may want to light your candle in memory of a single person murdered during the Holocaust or a more recent genocide. You can find more information on individual life stories here.
Upload a photo of your candle on social media using the hashtags: #HolocaustMemorialDay and #LightTheDarkness
You can also order a special HMD memorial candle for the moment of commemoration.
5. Learn about the experiences of people affected by the Holocaust through Ordinary Objects, Extraordinary Journeys
Explore this year’s theme for HMD, Ordinary People, through the ORDINARY OBJECTS, EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEYS website. The immersive site provides a unique and interactive experience, exploring the journeys of four individuals affected by the Holocaust, through objects that belonged to them. Retrace their steps and learn about the physical and emotional journeys that these individuals took before, during and in some cases after, the Holocaust.