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Dame Vivien Duffield, Baroness Ruth Deech and Shoah survivors voice dismay over Holocaust memorial

Over 100 Jews sign letter opposing the government’s plan

August 24, 2021 12:09
Victoria Tower Gardens, proposed site for the Memorial and Learning Centre
1 min read

The Save Victoria Tower Gardens Campaign group has published a letter signed by more than 100 Jews opposing the government’s decision to approve a Holocaust memorial next to Parliament.

Signatories include philanthropist  Dame Vivien Duffield, Baroness Ruth Deech and former MP for West Dorset Oliver Letwin, as well as Holocaust survivors, educators and local residents. 

Nina Grunfeld, a member of the Save Victoria Tower Gardens Campaign group and a local resident, said they wanted to ensure “people know the Jewish community is divided on the government’s plan.” 

In a letter published in this week's JC, the signatories said it was “dismayed by the UK government's decision to approve construction of a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens. This proposal is not being pursued in our name. We deplore the irreparable damage to a precious and historic park. We do not believe that what is proposed will be effective in combating antisemitism or in making us, as Jews and/or families of Holocaust victims and survivors, feel safer.”

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