Welcome to our November 2008 newsletter If you have any colleagues who may be interested in the work of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust please pass this newsletter on and encourage them to join our mailing list.
Free Resources from HMDT
In addition to the main community and education materials which are available, HMDT also have a
range of materials suitable for display and distribution. These resources include:
- A set of 4 A3 posters examining the theme Stand up to Hatred
- A set of 8 A5 postcards which focus on individuals who have challenged hatred
- A short film on DVD
- Copies of the 2009 theme paper Stand up to Hatred
- An A5 booklet explaining what HMD is and why it is so important
HMDT also has an electronic toolkit for prisons/young offenders institutions which has been produced in conjunction with HMYOI Lancaster Farms and a briefing for trade union branches. If you would be interested in either of these materials please email enquiries@hmd.org.uk
All materials are free of charge and can be ordered by emailing enquiries@hmd.org.uk or calling 0845 838 1883. Resources will be available within the next few weeks, however please do order early as stock is limited.
Education News from HMDT
HMD Activity Day
HMDT and the Welsh charity Valleyskids are hosting an arts based activities day to enable students aged 14 to 19 to plan their own HMD events. The day will be based at Penygraig near Tonypandy. Students will learn about the Holocaust and more recent genocides and attend creative arts workshops which will offer guidance and inspiration for linking the lessons of the past with the challenge to Stand up to Hatred today. There are a few places left and if you work in South Wales and would like to send a delegate to this event please contact lynfa@valleyskids.org.uk as soon as possible.
Free Resources
HMDT have produced free resources to help schools and colleges involve their students in HMD09 commemoration. Our education pack, which is suitable use at all stages of schooling and within home education projects, contains case studies linked with an activity board, lesson plans
and ideas for collective worship/assemblies plus points for discussion with older students. To order your free copy contact enquiries@hmd.org.uk
Travelling Theatre Production
Young asylum seekers are working with New Vic Borderlines to produce a new drama piece Breaking Glass which links modern day stories of refugees with the events of Kristallnacht. The production, followed by a workshop for students, is sponsored by the Co-operative Association and can tour schools and colleges across the UK. Contact Sue Moffat for details smoffat@newvictheatre.org.uk
Kristallnacht testimonies available in English for first time
In a joint project between HMDT and The Wiener Library to mark the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht (9/10 November) diary extracts, eye-witness accounts and letters of the events have been translated into English for the first time.
One letter tells of the anguish suffered by the victims: “I can’t tell you how many tears I shed, we are destitute, we don’t even have the most basic clothing, we can’t even go out into the street.” Another account recalls the conditions arrested Jews were held in: “Women aged between 50 – 55 were made to strip naked and dance for the men imprisoned with them… Sick women were obliged to answer the call of nature in public… I could continue this report for hours.”
The ten witness extracts have been translated from The Wiener Library’s extensive records to
remind the public of the extremes that can occur if acts of hatred go unchecked. All ten transcripts are available for download and you can also listen to two accounts – one undated and one from 20th November 1938.
Tell us about your event
We are keen to ensure that all HMD events across the country are as well publicised as possible. Please add your event to the listing on the HMD website which will ensure that we are able to direct people towards their local events. We may also be able to assist with securing local press coverage for your event. If your event is not open to the public (such as a school assembly) please do still let us know about it as we are keen to record all of the commemorations of HMD which take place.
Never Again? Thinking about the Holocaust
The Wiener Library has launched a new travelling exhibition, Never Again? Thinking about the Holocaust. The exhibition, to be officially opened in Parliament on 24th November, uses the Library’s collections to help people explore the lessons that can be learned from the Holocaust, and how these might be used to understand and resist genocide and racial intolerance in the modern world. The exhibition is designed to help people appreciate the complexity of the issues it raises, question existing attitudes and think for themselves.
The exhibition takes the form of five portable, double-sided stands that collapse for easy
transportation and storage. One of the panels forms an introduction to the exhibition, and the other four focus on specific topics; justice, commemoration, propaganda and refugees. The panels are designed to work independently and if space is limited, organisations may wish to borrow a smaller selection.
The exhibition is available free of charge to all institutions (collection and return must be organised by the institution), and the Library is particularly keen to encourage all schools, community education groups and public institutions to make use of an exhibition that is educational and challenging as well as being self-contained and flexible. The exhibition has been targeted at a 16+ audience, but is also suitable for general public venues. For more information about the exhibition, and enquiries regarding availability, please contact Bridget McGing at the Wiener Library on 020 7636 7247 or bmcging@wienerlibrary.co.uk.
Holocaust Memorial Day Trust – Here to Help
All members of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust team are happy to help with your event
organisation in any way possible from advising on assemblies to offering suggested reading materials or helping with articles for community magazines and helping to point you towards other organisations which can help with your planning. Please call any member of our team on
0845 838 1883 or email enquiries@hmd.org.uk
- November 2008 Newsletter (PDF)
