Holocaust Memorial Day 2023

Posted at 12:54 pm on 7th February, 2023

Wellacre Joins Service for the Community

Wellacre students joined a special service at Sale Waterside for young people across Trafford to reflect on Holocaust Memorial Day 2023.

Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD), is a time for reflecting on specific events in the past and thinking about how we as communities and individuals stand up to discrimination, racism and hatred. 

This year, the theme of Holocaust Memorial Day 2023 is ‘Ordinary People’ and the service included speakers, poetry and music based around this theme.

Year 9 students Joseph, Bradley, Oliver and Jacob, accompanied by Mrs Irwin, heard accounts of very ordinary people who stood up and were extraordinary as they rallied against the authorities and helped those people who were persecuted in the Holocaust.   One such story, which fascinated students, was about Irena Sendler who helped to save the lives of 2,500 children who were imprisoned in the Polish Ghettos by smuggling them out in the laundry.  

Year 9 student Bradley added: “I learned that Hitler and the German SS may be guilty of serious war crimes to humanity but there were also normal people who turned a blind eye and did nothing to stop it, as well as others who did some extraordinary things to try and help.” 

Mrs Irwin, Head of House and Teacher of RE, said:

“Students heard such powerful stories and these helped them realise that one individual can help so many and have such a huge impact, rather than standing by and letting it happen. What we heard was quite remarkable!”