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Grandson of Auschwitz survivor helps Aberdeen mark Holocaust Memorial Day

The grandson of an Auschwitz survivor spoke of the atrocities that were carried out as he helped Aberdeen City Council mark Holocaust Memorial Day today [26 January].

The event, held in the Town House, gave people the opportunity to remember the crimes of the Nazi period and other more recent atrocities and to reflect on how such crimes can be prevented from happening again. The chosen date for Holocaust Memorial Day is the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp by the Soviet Union in 1945.

Holocaust Memorial Day remembers all the victims of the Nazis – including Jewish people, Gypsy Travellers and people persecuted because of their sexual orientation – and those who suffered and died in other acts of genocide. It aims to highlight the dangers of anti-Semitism, racism and intolerant discrimination

The theme for the Town House event was Speak Up, Speak Out. It began with a formal opening by Depute Lord Provost Councillor Bill Cormie.

Addressing the audience of 60, he said: “Under the Nazi regime of hatred the voices of so many were taken away. Each of us has a voice and has the choice to use it. The choices we make in the words and language we use every day contribute to creating a safe and fair society. The right to speak up may seem an uncomplicated concept, but the untold stories of the past have shown us that voices have been taken away and are ignored or still silenced today.”

During today’s event, there were musical performances and presentations, including a talk by Matt Biskup, the grandson of Holocaust survivors.

Mr Biskup, 36, said: “I think it is crucial to teach the younger generation about the Holocaust. Those who survived it are dying out so soon there will be no witnesses alive. It is very important that every young man and woman visits Auschwitz and sees with their own eyes what happens if you vote for people filled with hatred. They must realise that such things as hate, racism, prejudice and intolerance are the beginning of a long and very dangerous road.”

Mr Biskup said his grandfather, who was held at Auschwitz, died when he was six-years-old. Neither his grandfather, nor his grandmother, who survived the Ravensbruck women’s concentration camp in northern Germany, spoke about their experiences. Mr Biskup has since learned of the ordeals they went through.

In addition to today’s formal commemoration at the Town House, the Belmont Cinema on Belmont Street will host a special showing of Reflections, a film related to Holocaust Memorial Day, on Thursday 02 February from 6.45pm. The film, commissioned to commemorate the Holocaust, was made as part of the Speak Up, Speak Out Holocaust Memorial Day tributes, and presents a short series of recollections and reflections of the war, and of life beyond it, with two Gordon Highlander WW2 veterans.

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