Call for Holocaust memorial to honour non-Jews

A HOLOCAUST survivor has launched a petition calling for part of the planned Holocaust Memorial in Westminster to be dedicated to Righteous among the Nations.

In total, as of last year, the State of Israel has bestowed the title 26,973 times, honouring people who were not Jewish who risked their lives to save Jews during the Shoah.

Fifty-seven people have so far signed the petition, which aims to attract at least 10,000 signatures in six months.

A planning application for the National Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, in Victoria Tower Gardens, adjacent to the Houses of Parliament, is being considered by Westminster City Council.

Submitting the petition to Parliament this week, Lili Stern-Pohlmann wrote: “I am a Holocaust survivor rescued by the Righteous. Most people were bystanders during the Holocaust, but thousands of non-Jews risked their lives to help Jewish people.

“Without them many Jews and their descendants would not be here today. During the Holocaust, in many parts of German-occupied Europe, helping Jews was punishable by death.

“Despite this many sought to save them. These Righteous individuals helped Jews escape from ghettos, hiding them, forging IDs, providing money, food and medicines. Some were murdered along with those they sheltered.”

The petition’s launch co-incided with a commemoration event in Parliament for European Day of the Righteous, organised by the Polish Embassy.

The application to build the memorial has faced objections in recent months, primarily from local residents and heritage organisations.

A Change.org petition opposing building the memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens has attracted more than 11,000 signatures.

In a statement earlier this month, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “The National Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre will be hugely important to London, and to the whole country.

“It will be a powerful symbol against all forms of hatred.”