Survivor testimony: the chance we must not waste

V LAST YEAR’S virtual Yom HaShoah UK Commemoration was the first of the many virtual communal events to take place during the Covid-19 pandemic, and would set the scene for all others that followed. In a strange juxtaposition, at a time of understandable anxiety and heartbreak for so many, it was the collective memory of the Holocaust that brought our community together.

Despite commemorating the darkest moment in living memory, as the virtual children’s choirs sang, the ceremony gave people hope, and for many still struggling to come to terms with lockdown, it gave a sense of perspective. As the ceremony streamed live, with thousands watching from their homes, they joined in the unifying act of remembrance, as families from all across the UK (and beyond) simultaneously lit Yellow Candles in their homes.

While organising the virtual ceremony will always remain one of my proudest moments, it was meant to be a one-off. Sadly, of course, as the months went on, and further lockdowns were announced, despite a road map to an end hopefully in sight, it doesn’t come quite soon enough for this year’s Yom HaShoah Commemoration.

You’ll be forgiven for being exhausted by online events — believe me, as CEO of JLGB, I know all about Zoom fatigue, and how after a year of virtual programmes, we all long for the return to face-to-face events. Yet somehow, we must all muster the collective strength to gather for one last virtual event, but perhaps the most important one of all, as we honour our pledge that no matter what, we must always remember on Yom HaShoah.

Just a few weeks ago, I heard a shocking statistic that more than 250 survivors and refugees, who rebuilt their lives here in the UK, have sadly passed away from Covid-19 in this last year.

This news reverberated around my head, and I hope it resonates with you as you read this too, and encourages you to watch this year’s National Yom HaShoah Commemoration. For despite our fatigue, despite these extremely difficult and unprecedented times in which we currently live, if we have the opportunity to hear and become witness to the first-hand testimony of a survivor, even if virtually, we must grab it now, before it’s too late!

So, on Wednesday April 7 at 7.30pm, pause that latest boxset, let your children stay up that little bit later, have your Yellow Candle ready and switch your Smart TV to YouTube and simply search “YomHaShoahUK”, as the UK Jewish community gathers to mourn the loss of six million Jews in the Holocaust, honour the heroes and its martyrs and bear witness to the first-hand testimony of our community’s truly remarkable and inspirational survivors and refugees.