Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration

Tuesday January 28th 2025

Archbishop John McDowell with the Rev Suzanne Cousins (at left) and the Rev Lynne Gibson (at right) with representatives of Belfast Islamic Centre.

The Rev Lynne Gibson, rector of Ballymacash, joined Church of Ireland representatives, including the Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop John McDowell, at a Holocaust Memorial Day Northern Ireland event in Belfast City Hall.

Earlier in the day, the group visited Belfast Islamic Centre in its new location in the city centre.

The City Hall Memorial event was held on the evening of January 23 ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday January 27.

The Regional Commemoration, hosted by The Executive Office in conjunction with the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and Belfast City Council, heard from Holocaust survivor Peter Lantos, who spoke movingly about the horrors he faced during Nazi rule.

Peter Lantos, who along with his family was deported to a concentration camp in 1944, was unable to make the event due to travel disruption caused by the weather, however he sent a video message.

In this he said: “As a Holocaust survivor, having been child prisoner 8431 in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, the message I have is that of hope. In the darkest of times, we should not lose our faith in a better future.”

The scene of a cemetery at Srebrenica reminds attendees at the Belfast City Hall event of the massacre, which took place during the Bosnian War in July 1995.

The City Hall event also marked the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia and was attended by members of the local Jewish community and representatives of other faith groups and minority ethnic communities.

During the evening, those in attendance heard the stories of the Mothers of Srebrenica group.

Lynne said: “I found the Holocaust Memorial Day event at Belfast City Hall very moving. We heard from a Holocaust survivor and from a lady representing the Mothers of Srebrenica. At the end, I felt like we had been through an emotional wringer.”

Lynne said a number of schoolchildren had participated, singing and playing music on the evening. “It is good to that the young people continue to remember and to make the connections between the Holocaust and other genocides that have happened over the years,” Lynne said.

“The theme of the night was ‘For a Better Future,’ – standing against hate and prejudice.”

The Rev Suzanne Cousins, the Archbishop of Armagh’s Inter-Faith Advisor, reflected on the commemoration. “Most important for us to understand is that genocide doesn’t just happen,” she said.  “It starts with divisive language and people being targeted on account of their identity – a reality we touched upon in our church services and sermons this past weekend when reflecting upon the gospel of the day, Luke 4:14- 30, on the rejection of Jesus in Nazareth.”

The group visited Belfast Islamic Centre in its new base in University Road earlier in the day. Lynne said: “They were very open to having visitors and to connecting with the community around them. ”

  • The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust encouraged people to light a candle on Monday January 27 at 8pm, and to place it safely in their window to remember those who were murdered for who they were and stand against prejudice and hatred today.

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