Notice from the Minister

Holocaust Memorial Day - 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz

People across the world are today marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazis' most notorious death camp.

Auschwitz was the largest concentration and extermination centre in the Third Reich – more than 1.1 million men, women and children lost their lives there.

A day of international commemoration, Holocaust Memorial Day is dedicated to honouring all those, including six million Jews, who were murdered under Nazi rule during the Second World War.

The scope of the anniversary this year has been widened to include all victims of genocide in countries like Rwanda (1994) and Bosnia to try and ensure that the memory of those murdered in the name of ‘hatred for the other' are never forgotten.
More than 7,000 emaciated prisoners left behind to die by SS guards, who evacuated the Auschwitz camps after trying to cover up their crimes, were discovered by Soviet soldiers when they opened the gates on 27 January 1945.
The gas chambers they discovered were a major site for the Nazis' Final Solution which set out to systematically murder all European Jews.
The Bosnian genocide took place during the Bosnian War between 1992 and 1995.
In July 1995, the small town of Srebrenica saw the massacre of over 8,000 Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) men and boys, along with the forced displacement of an additional 25,000 to 30,000 Bosniak civilians.

Holocaust Memorial Day serves as a poignant moment to reflect on the lessons from these catastrophic events, and the hatred that fuelled them.

Antisemitism has risen sharply in the UK and worldwide, particularly after the 7 October, 2023 Hamas-led militant groups attacks in Israel and the ensuing conflict in Gaza.
Extremist groups are taking advantage of these tensions to incite Islamophobic hatred within the UK.
As a result, many communities across the country are experiencing heightened vulnerability, with increasing hostility and mistrust among different groups.
The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 is ‘Learn for a Better Future' and is being used to emphasise the lessons that can be taken from the events, laws and propaganda that led to the Holocaust, to highlight and warn about the effects of dehumanising different groups.
Whilst racism and hatred do not always lead to genocide, all genocides begin with insidious stages including propaganda, ‘othering' and dehumanisation.
The Church of Scotland is committed to speaking out against racism, injustice and hatred both in the UK and internationally.
There are dozens of events across the country taking place to bring communities of all faiths and none together in contemplation and prayer for a better world.
Rt Rev Dr Shaw Paterson, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, will be attending "Hate is a failure of imagination", a literary and musical event at New Town Church in Edinburgh and on Thursday, he will be at the Scottish Holocaust Memorial Day Trust's ceremony at the Scottish Parliament.
Rev Fiona Smith, Principal Clerk of the General Assembly, will attend the national event in Westminster and will be doing a reading at the service organised by the Council of Christians and Jews in Lambeth Palace, the official home of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Rev Carolann Birnie offers this prayer –

Be still and know that I am God Psalm 46:10

As we remember the horror of the holocaust,
Through our prayers,
We stand with those who are suffering, so that
Goodness will triumph over evil,
Love will triumph over hate
And, light will continue to shine in the darkness.

Amen