This time of renewal and remembrance for members of the Jewish faith is an important time for all of us to remember that great contribution this community has made to our nation
September 20, 2017 10:04
I wish everyone celebrating Rosh Hashanah here in Britain and around the world a happy and peaceful new year.
Last week the Prime Minister held a reception in Number 10 Downing Street for members of the Jewish community to express her personal support and appreciation for the work they do, and their contribution to all sectors in the country.
I echo this sentiment; this time of renewal and remembrance for members of the Jewish faith is an important time for all of us to remember that great contribution this community has made to our nation.
This year we will mark the centenary of the Balfour Declaration. I am proud of the part that we as a nation contributed to this declaration and the subsequent birth of a remarkable country. We must, and will, continue to support the nation of Israel.
Alongside remembering the centenary of the Balfour Declaration at this time we must also remember one of the darkest periods of human history: the Holocaust. The terrible atrocities suffered by members of the Jewish community during this time must never be forgotten.
During the Holocaust we saw the very worst of human nature. But we also saw the best in those who put their own lives at risk, and in many cases made the ultimate sacrifice in order to save others and stand up for what was right.
We must also not forget that this was also a time we saw what might be considered one of the most dangerous aspects of human nature - the temptation to stand by, to look the other way, to wilfully ignore terrible atrocities occurring right in front of us.
We must never allow these awful events to be repeated, which is one reason it is so important the lessons of this time must never be forgotten and all political parties must be clear in their condemnation of vile antisemitic rhetoric.
To this end I am pleased that we are moving forward with our commitment to create a proper national memorial to the Holocaust. We want to create a memorial that embodies the experiences of those who survived and which serves as a reminder of the need to fight hatred and prejudice in all its forms. I look forward to the announcement of the final design in the coming months.
There will also be a learning centre which will stand with the UK Holocaust Memorial, together they will create a permanent reminder right at the heart of our democracy of the consequences of allowing bigotry to go unchecked.
We are a nation with a proud history and a bright future and we must never allow the language of hate to drown out the many British voices of tolerance.
Sir Patrick McLoughlin is chairman of the Conservative Party
