“I wanted to act as witness to the stories of the horrors that had taken place there. In the bleak, snow-covered landscape, they felt eerily present”, he added.
“This year, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust has poignantly reminded us that remembrance is the equal duty of each new generation. That we each have to work to combat the risk that memory fades and as a result solidarity suffers.
“The Holocaust was the systematic murder of six million Jews - six million individual lives destroyed by hatred. Combatting this hatred in all its modern forms is a priority for this government.”
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy during a visit to Majdanek concentration camp (Image: FCDO)[Missing Credit]
Lammy continued: “I am marking this Holocaust Memorial Day committed to remembrance, intent on challenging antisemitism, and resolute on ensuring that ‘never again’ means never again.”
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy during a visit to Majdanek concentration camp (Image: FCDO)[Missing Credit]
The deputy prime minister was also present at the National Ceremony for Holocaust Memorial Day on Tuesday, which was addressed by the rabbi of Heaton Park Synagogue, Daniel Walker, and Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis.
At Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, addressed by Tribich, the prime minister expressed his pleasure that Parliament had, last week, passed the Holocaust Memorial Act to enable the construction of a memorial and learning centre in Victoria Tower Gardens, next to the parliamentary estate.
Tribich echoed his sentiment and said that her late brother, Olympian Sir Ben Helfgot, would have been delighted at the passage of the legislation.
“One of Ben’s greatest wishes was to see a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre built beside Parliament – a permanent place where survivor testimony would be preserved, and where future generations could understand where antisemitism and hatred could lead if left unchallenged,” she said.
"He did not live to see the memorial, but he would have been proud to know that Parliament has now passed the Holocaust Memorial Bill and that work will soon begin.”
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy during a visit to Majdanek concentration camp (Image: Ministry of Justice)[Missing Credit]