Milton view Let’s learn from history
Dear Editor, The theme for this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day on Friday, January 27, is ‘How can life go on?’, raising challenging questions for individuals, communities and nations in the aftermath of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides.
At around 6000 events taking place across the country, people will reflect upon the horrors of the past and remember those who were killed, while honouring all those who survived and went on, with bravery, to rebuild their lives.
Every January, when we listen to the testimony of survivors, we don’t just learn a little more about the darkest chapters of human history, we are also reminded of where hatred and bigotry can lead if left unchallenged and unchecked.
Today, that lesson is more important than ever, which is why I urge you to attend an event in your community, listed here www.hmd. org.uk.
In our film for Holocaust Memorial Day 2017, Bea Green, a survivor of the Holocaust, tells the story of how she and her father were forced to flee Nazi Germany because they were Jewish and how Nazi law encouraged the humiliation they faced.
Today in the UK such persecution is unlawful, but people still face prejudice and hostility because of who they are. This Holocaust Memorial Day, let’s learn from the lessons of the past to create a safer, better society.
You can play your part by watching the film on howcanlifegoon.hmd. org.uk and sharing it on social media so that Bea’s story is seen by as many people as possible.
Olivia Marks-woldman Chief Executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust PO Box 61074,London Dear Editor, Eleven years ago my mum Carol died of bowel cancer. She was just 54 at the time.
If she had lived in Scotland, where the population is screened from the age of 50, she could have had a far better chance of survival.
That’s why I’m supporting Beating Bowel Cancer’s campaign to equalise the screening age across the UK.
If screening age was reduced from 60 to 50 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, to be in line with Scotland, over 4,000 patients a year would be given the chance of being diagnosed earlier.
Being diagnosed with bowel cancer early offers a 97% survival rate, but it remains the UK’S second biggest cancer killer and it’s time we changed the odds for patients in their 50s in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
It’s appalling that currently they are not being given the same chance of survival as those in Scotland.
So we’re urging all 50-year-olds, their families and friends – and all those who will one day be in that age group – to support this change in screening age to ensure that the odds are on their side in the future.
Please support Beating Bowel Cancer’s campaign at www. beatingbowlecancer.org.
If you have questions about bowel cancer, there’s lots of information and support on the charity’s website or you can call their nurse helpline on 020 8973 0011.