Holocaust Memorial Day commemorated by National museum in Newark
They’ve unveiled a new art exhibition in Soho looking at the anti-Semitic ideologies and conspiracies that enabled it to happen
The director of the National Holocaust Museum in Newark says we must all “act to fight prejudice” to ensure tragedies like the Holocaust never happen again.
They’ve unveiled a new art exhibition in Soho to coincide with Holocaust Memorial Day, looking at the anti-Semitic ideologies and conspiracies that enabled it
Marc Cave tells us how they’re reflecting on this day:
"Holocaust Memorial Day means a lot of things, I suppose. I boil it down to two; the first is to remember what was probably the single biggest atrocity that humankind has ever known caused by the single biggest conspiracy theory that has probably ever been known, and the second point is that conspiracy theory is alive today and we see conspiracy theories all over social media- dividing people.
"Ultimately for me, it is about remembering the tragedy of the past and of all, you know, atrocities of this nature. But also about doing something to remind us that we need to do something, it's like a memorial, it's also about today and tomorrow."
Marc added that they've changed their logo from a Flame which represents the flame of memory to a white rose:
"Our logo was a red flame. It's the flame of memory. But remembering without acting is futile, it's not enough, and for us, it's about acting.
"Hope is not a wish- hope is an action. So the idea of doing the hard work, walking the hard miles to confront and challenge prejudice, to have conversations with the people, not in your own echo chamber, but people who you may disagree with - which is okay - is what is needed.
"We changed our logo from a flame to a White Rose and that is because there are 1000 white roses in our gardens, each planted in loving memory of victims of the Holocaust, planted by our community of Holocaust survivors. The real thing here is that roses, if you tend to your roses, they re-bloom each year - that is rebirth. That is the reblooming of hope. That is a symbol that we must never lose that hope."
So, this year the National Holocaust Museum has a new international touring exhibition for Holocaust Memorial Day 2025, with funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Called The Vicious Circle, it explores the Holocaust did not come out of nowhere, but "that it was not the end of the story of anti-Jewish racism".
It opened in Soho, London, on Tuesday the 21st of January and will run until Tuesday the 28th. It will then tour internationally — initially Tallinn, Berlin and the European Parliament in Brussels.
The exhibition tells five stories in a large, striking circular installation featuring original artefacts, texts and five large video screens.
"The vicious circle looks at the ideology, effectively the thinking, the delusion that inspires all forms of anti-Jewish violence. So on Holocaust Memorial Day, please don't just think about Hitler and the extermination camps. Think about why this stuff happened and what we all lose because the vicious circle takes everyone down in its wake." said Marc.
You can find out more about what the National Holocaust Museum is doing here.