Jews, Christians and others walked side by side in Belfast’s March of Life, marking Yom Hashoah and opposing all forms of racism.
It was followed by a memorial event at Belfast Castle which was addressed by Bournemouth-based survivor Henry Schachter.
Mr Schachter said afterwards that “in all my years attending memorial events, I have never been so moved and felt as much love as during the March of Life.”
He also spoke to year 11 pupils from local schools in the presence of politicians and German representatives.
At Pinner Synagogue, the Yom Hashoah commemoration, attended by 300 people, focused on the 80th anniversary of the Kindertransport.
The principal speakers were Ann and Bob Kirk, who came to Britain separately on the Kindertransport. They gave a moving account of their experiences of antisemitic harassment and praised the selflessness of their respective parents in enabling them to flee Nazi tyranny.
“On the whole, most Kindertransport children eventually settled down happily, married and started new families,” Mrs Kirk said. “Bob and I have two sons, three wonderful grandchildren, and now a great-grandson.”
At Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue, Warsaw-born survivor Isy Sznajer addressed a full house of more than 350 people in the shul hall. Having escaped the Warsaw Ghetto, he was hidden by a farmer for 18 months before finally being rescued by the Russian Army.
