Bridging Generations: HMD Theme for 2026
The theme for HMD 2026, 'Bridging Generations', is a call-to-action. A reminder that the responsibility of remembrance does not end with the survivors - it lives on through their children, their grandchildren and through all of us. This theme encourages us all to engage actively with the past: to listen, to learn and to carry those lessons forward. By doing so, we build a bridge between memory and action, between history and hope for the future.
As the years pass, we’re growing more distant in time from the Holocaust and from the other, more recent genocides that are commemorated on HMD. That distance brings a risk: that memory fades, that the sharp reality of what happened becomes blurred, abstract or even questioned.
Bridging Generations highlights the crucial role of the next generation in preserving the memory of the Holocaust and carrying it forward. It highlights the power of intergenerational dialogue – of listening to those who came before us and of sharing those stories with those who come after. In doing so, we don’t just preserve memory – we connect it to the present.
Genocide doesn’t discriminate by age: infants, children, adults and the elderly have all experienced unimaginable suffering in different ways. In many cases, entire family lines were erased. Bridging Generations invites us to honour each life – and honour those who left no family to carry their legacy – whose legacies live on not through bloodlines but through books, films and other interpretations.
Who are the ‘generations’?
The murdered generation: The six million Jewish people murdered in the Holocaust, the non-Jewish people murdered because they were gay, disabled, Roma or Sinti, or a member of another community targeted by the Nazis. The millions of people murdered in the recent genocides recognised by the government (in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and the Yazidi people) and in Darfur. The generation of people whose lives and voices were brutally taken away.
The first generation: survivors themselves, those who lived through the Holocaust and other genocides. A few, precious, Holocaust survivors are with us still today. In addition, we can research the testimonies of those who survived the Holocaust and who died in the 1960s, 70s, 80s and more recently. This theme will encourage HMD organisers to research those who experienced and survived the Holocaust as adults but who passed away in the decades after the Holocaust.
The theme also includes the first-generation survivors of the more recent genocides, many of whom share their histories at HMD events each year.
The second and third generations: the children and grandchildren of survivors – carry that legacy in a deeply personal way. For them, these stories are family history.
People today – of any generation – with no direct family link to the Holocaust or to recent genocides – many of whom will be organising and participating in Holocaust Memorial Day events around the country. Their role is just as vital. Through education, dialogue and a willingness to engage, we all inherit the responsibility of remembrance. Bridging Generations is about all of us. It’s about reaching across time and experience to keep memory and history alive and using them to shape a future that protects the dignity of every human being.
What does ‘bridging’ entail?
Bridging from person to person – this can include the transmission of memory, such as finding ways to share stories of the Holocaust and of recent genocides that resonate with people today – through testimonies, yes, and also through education, art, literature, film and digital media. It can include intergenerational dialogue: a grandparent sharing memories, a student interviewing a survivor or young people engaging with the children and grandchildren of survivors, these moments create space for understanding.
Bridging from ‘silent witnesses’ – historical artefacts are the ‘silent witnesses’ providing evidence of the past to generations today. These are literally ‘articles of fact’ – photographs, letters, diaries, documents and personal items that belonged to people who were persecuted, murdered or who survived – and which will continue to exist long after individuals have passed on. Learning about these artefacts, where they came from and how they arrived in the UK can tell us so much about the history of the Holocaust or of more recent genocides. Some are in museums around the UK and the world, others are included in our resources – you can find out how artefacts can help us bridge generations via our website.
Bridging from the historical record – digitised archives can help provide a bridge from the records of the past held in archives, museums or family collections.
Bridging Generations, will encourage a shared responsibility, recognising that remembrance is a shared task – one that requires every generation to step forward. Together at HMD, we’ll build empathy and understanding, using the lessons of the Holocaust and of recent genocides to sharpen our awareness and deepen our compassion in the face of contemporary injustice.
How can you apply this to your HMD 2026 events and activities? See the full theme paper for help and guidance.