Four guests tell tales of atrocities during Holocaust Memorial Day (From Times Series)

Four guests tell tales of atrocities during Holocaust Memorial Day in Hendon

1:10pm Friday 20th January 2012 in News By Kate Jenkinson

A KNIGHTED jewish refugee, a young Auschwitz visitor and a High Commissioner are among guest speakers at the annual Holocaust Memorial Day Service in Hendon this Sunday.

The event remembers all victims of the Holocaust, and will also recognise other atrocities committed around the world including Cambodia, several countries in Africa and the Balkans.

High Commissioner Edward M Turay of the Sierra Leone High Commission for the UK and Northern Ireland will be among the speakers to reflect on atrocities in his country.

A young perspective on the Holocaust will be given by Naomi Lyne, a Year 13 history student from Ashmole Academy, who will speak about her recent visit to Auschwitz through the Holocaust Education Service.

Sir Erich Reich, chairman of the Kindertransport Group of the Association of Jewish Refugees, will also be speaking.

Sir Erich arrived in London as a four-year-old Jewish refugee with his brothers from Poland in 1939.

He was fostered by a non-Jewish refugee family and later went on to fight in the Suez War.

Jan Williams, Dean of the School of Health and Social Sciences at Middlesex University, will also address guests.

The Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Lisa Rutter, will lead the civic procession into the Quadrangle before the service begins.

She said: “This year’s theme aims to encourage people to speak up to challenge offensive comments and actions as well as speak out to remind everyone of the horrific events of the past.

“We are fortunate we live in a democracy with free speech. I hope the lessons learned from the past will encourage us to live together peacefully in the future.”

The event, at the Ricketts Quadramgle at Middlesex University's Hendon campus, will be held at 1pm, with guests asked to be seated by 12.45pm, on Sunday, January 22.

The day's theme is Speak Up, Speak Out, admission is free and all members of the public are invited to attend.

The Alyth Youth Singers and the London Cantorial Singers will perform during the service.