£50m Shoah memorial project has personal significance, says MP
COMMUNITIES SECRETARY James Brokenshire has revealed how plans for the Holocaust Memorial in Westminster strike a “personal chord” after detailing how his father-in-law and his children’s great grandfather both escaped Nazi Germany.
Writing for the JC ahead of his speech next Tuesday at the launch of a public exhibition of the latest Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre designs, the minister told of his connection to the £50 million project at Victoria Tower Gardens, in the shadow of Westminster.
He revealed: “I am particularly honoured to be involved in building a fitting memorial to the Holocaust in Britain.”
Mr Brokenshire — who has three children with his Jewish wife, Catherine Anne Mamelok — also accepted it was “vital” that concerns about the design and location of the memorial should be heard in advance of the submission of a planning application later this year. Prominent Ghanian-British architect Sir David Adjaye won the international competition to design the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.
His design includes a path which leads across a gradually rising hill, affording views out to the River Thames and Westminster.
But earlier this week, it emerged that some had criticised the design, which features 23 bronze blade walls that form 22 staircases and is meant to symbolise one for each country in which Jewish communities were decimated during the Holocaust.
IN THE coming week I will have the privilege to speak at a reception to launch a public exhibition of the latest Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre designs.
I am looking forward to outlining why I believe the ongoing work of the Foundation and the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre remains so vital.
This strikes a personal chord for me, as my father-in-law escaped Nazi Germany to Britain as a small child with the help of Frank Foley, an MI6 officer based in the British Embassy in Berlin.
His father – my children’s great grandfather – was interned in Buchenwald in the aftermath of Kristallnacht, although, mercifully, was reunited with the family.
I am therefore particularly honoured to be involved in building a fitting memorial to the Holocaust in Britain. The Holocaust had a monumental impact on Britain’s history, our democracy and our values. Over 70 years on, it continues to shape our society as more evidence and testimony is revealed.
Jewish people have always been integral to British society, contributing to every aspect of our shared culture, heritage and national life. And yet, worryingly, challenges remain. Last year, the Community Security Trust (CST) recorded 1,382 antisemitic incidents across the UK - the highest annual total on record.
It is appalling to consider that decades after one of the darkest passages of human history, members of the Jewish community are still subject to discrimination and hatred in Britain.
The work of the Foundation serves as an important reminder to all of us of why antisemitism must be challenged wherever and whenever it surfaces, at whatever level or outlet in our society.
The Memorial and Learning Centre will draw on the history of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides, stressing the importance of tackling intolerance and hatred at all levels in our society.
It will be a Memorial that delivers this message for all the people of Britain, regardless of faith and background.
I am aware that concerns have been raised around the initial design proposals and the location of the proposed Memorial and Learning Centre. That is why I welcome this exhibition as an opportunity for people to see the designs for themselves and have their voice heard. We all have a stake in ensuring that this vital chapter of history is properly memorialised. It is vital that the affected communities have a chance to be heard before a formal planning application is submitted later this year.
In a week’s time Jewish families across the country will be celebrating Rosh Hashanah. I want to take this opportunity to extend my best wishes and to reaffirm my commitment to build a lasting legacy to the victims and survivors of the Shoah and to the education of future generations in order to build a better future.
The Shoah continues to shape our society ’