In order to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive, Britain will create a new national memorial and a educational center, British Premier David Cameron announced on Tuesday at a Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony in London that was also addressed by Prince Charles.
Cameron’s announcement follows recommendations made by the the Holocaust Commission established by the premier to consider the best way to ensure what happened during the Shoah will be passed onto future generations as the numbers of survivors dwindle.
Cameron told guests that it was time for Britons to stand together as a country and say “we will remember and to say: we will not allow any excuses for anti-Semitism in our country.”
He added that Britain would not let any form of prejudice destroy the multi-faith, multi-ethnic democracy we are so proud to call our home. “We will teach every generation the British values of respect and tolerance that we hold dear. And we will ensure that they can learn from the stories of our Holocaust survivors.’’
The cross-party and multi-faith Holocaust Commission, led by the Jewish Leadership Council’s Chairman Mick Davis, spent a year taking evidence from among others, Holocaust survivors and members of the Jewish community over the ways to educate future generations of Britons about the genocide.
It included Britain’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, representatives of the major political parties and several academics and others involved in Holocaust-related activities.
Its main recommendations include building “a striking and prominent new national memorial” in central London “to make a bold statement” about the importance Britain places on preserving the memory of the Holocaust, and to become a “permanent reaffirmation” of British values.
It will replace an inscribed rock placed two decades ago at the “Dell” in the southern part of London’s Hyde Park.
Prince Charles told Tuesday's audience the Holocaust must always be remembered and all its victims honoured as it was an "unparalleled human tragedy" and "an act of evil unique in history".
He added: "But Holocaust Memorial Day is not just a memorial to those six million innocent Jewish men, women and children - it is also universal because the Jews in this story represent all of us.
"That is why the Holocaust is not just a Jewish tragedy, nor merely a dark page from the Second World War, but a warning and a lesson to all of us of all faiths in all times,’’ he said.