Holocaust Memorial Day
What was the Holocaust? The Holocaust was the mass murder of six million Jews and millions of other people leading up to, and during, World War II.
The killings took place in Europe between 1933 and They were organised by the German Nazi party which was led by Adolf Hitler.
Many people were sent to larger prisons called concentration camps where they were either made to work in poor conditions or killed. One of these was called Auschwitz.
The largest group of victims were Jewish people. Nearly 7 out of every 10 Jews living in Europe were killed. It is estimated that 6,000, 000 Jews lost their lives.
Most of the victims were killed because they belonged to certain racial or religious groups which the Nazis wanted to wipe out. This kind of killing is called genocide.
One of our British Values is tolerance, acceptance and mutual respect towards others. It is important that difference and diversity is celebrated. These are values that are upheld across the world in many countries.
We will never know exactly how many died but there were many millions of non-Jewish victims, including: Civilians and soldiers from the Soviet Union Catholics from Poland Serbs Disabled people Gay People Black people Prisoners of war Jehovah's Witnesses Polish civilians Roma and Sinti people (Gypsies) Slavic people
Holocaust Memorial Day HMD is a mark of respect for all the lives lost during the Holocaust as well as victims of other genocides around the world. In the UK, it is held on the 27 th January as this date marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp by soldiers of the Soviet Army in
Why is it important? It helps to educate people about the terrible events and it shows how important it is to be tolerant of other people and their beliefs. Marking the day also makes sure the Holocaust is not forgotten and can help to stop anything like it ever happening again.
Brighton and Hove Each year in Brighton and Hove, some schools take part in various events to commemorate the Holocaust and remember those who lost their lives. This year, the Brighton and Hove Holocaust Education Project have invited schools to take part in a very special project.
Lego As part of HMD 2016, school communities across Brighton and Hove have been invited to collect as many Lego bricks as possible.
Why Lego? The Lego will be used to create a sculpture. Each Lego brick will symbolise a family or group of people that died during the Holocaust. Each dot on a brick represents one individual life. What would 6,000,000 dots look like?
The Lego sculpture will be on display in Jubilee Library during January. How much Lego can we collect before Christmas?
Add details of when and how your school will begin collecting Lego bricks. Think about who from school might follow up with some learning in class through a topic or PSHE lesson. Consider which school representatives might attend the HMD event on 26th January between 1-5 pm at the Old Court House.