Photo – Year 9 students who led their Holocaust Memorial Day assembly
Mrs Cruse (Head of Years 7 and 8)
On 27th January each year, the Holocaust is remembered. It takes place on this day because in 1945 it was the day that Auschwitz – Birkenau was liberated. The Holocaust Memorial Trust theme for this year is One Day. The BGS Community has embraced this theme and has looked at the genocides which have occurred and why they occurred. After the Holocaust ended in 1945 the world said ‘Never again’. We have discussed how humanity has failed to learn lessons from the Holocaust and genocides continue to happen around the world to this very day.
A group of Year 9 students led an assembly on what is currently happening in China. Nawaal (Year 9) said: “The China genocide is an appalling issue, showing the true awful nature of humanity and I’m glad the school is taking the important steps of providing students with the information and knowledge regarding the issue. The importance of learning about not only just the Uyghur genocide in China but also other global social issues for young children is fundamental. This provides a basis for our morals and encourages us to use our voices and utilise our privilege for the big issues in the world. Again, I cannot thank you enough for this opportunity Mrs Cruse.”
The BGS community has examined the reasons why Genocides occurs. Genocide does not happen out of the blue and in the words of Kofi Annan: “A genocide begins with the killing of one man – not for what he has done, but because of who he is.” Students have examined the Holocaust and genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur and China.
As the BGS community reflected on the atrocities of the genocide they looked at many stories of people who survived the horrors of the genocide. The words of Jan Schakowsky are powerful in explaining the reasons why the Holocaust Memorial Day is such a significant day: “As a Jew I cannot sit idle while genocidal atrocities continue to unfold in Darfur.”
We have created a memorial wall reflecting upon key days during the many different genocides where students can share poems or sketches as a mark of respect upon their learning of the Holocaust and genocides. Click here to view.
