January 2010
Ireland
Holocaust Memorial Day - Mansion House, Dublin - 31/01/10
The Holocaust Education Trust Ireland in association with the Office of the Minister for Integration are hosting the National Holocaust Memorial Day in the Mansion House, Dublin 2, between 6 and 8 pm on 31st January 2009.
To receive an invitation, please contact the number or email address below, giving the name and address of each person requiring an invitation and also including telephone number and email. Closing date for applications 4 December 2009.
| Telephone: | + 353 1 6690593 |
| email: | info@hetireland.org |
Drawing on the assistance of the Holocaust Educational Trust, the government has marked Holocaust Memorial Day on the Sunday nearest to 27 January each year since 2003. Local events commemorating the Holocaust had, however, been held before – for example, the unveiling of the Holocaust Memorial in Listowel in 1995. In addition, the Jewish community holds a memorial service for Yom HaShoah every year.
Official Commemorative Activities
The national Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration takes place at the Mansion House in Dublin. It is designed to cherish the memory of all of the victims of the Nazi Holocaust. A candle-lighting ceremony is an integral part of the commemoration at which six candles are always lit for the six million Jews who perished, as well as candles for all of the other victims. Readings are made by survivors and other prominent people in Irish society. There are appropriate musical and choral interludes. A minute’s silence is held. Attendance by invitation only. For further information please contact: Holocaust Memorial Educational Trust, Clifton House, Lower Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin 2
The thrust of the commemoration programme is to serve as a constant reminder of the dangers of racism and to provide lessons from the past that are relevant today. The inclusion of all victim groups is fundamental to the commemoration and the importance of education about anti-Semitism and all forms of intolerance is highlighted.
A keynote address is given by the President, the Taoiseach (head of the government) or other senior minister. Members of parliament and the upper house, heads of government departments, and officials of government departments attend the event. In 2009 the President of Ireland gave the keynote address. The Lord Mayor of Dublin participates actively. Representative persons across the spectrum of Irish civic society are invited to attend, including educators. Approximately 600 people attended the event in 2009, including religious leaders, diplomats, members of non-governmental organizations, academics, poets, musicians and many other people.
Key institutions participating are the Holocaust Educational Trust of Ireland; the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform; the Office of the Minister for Integration, Dublin City Council; Dublin Maccabi Charitable Trust; the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland’ the Council for Christians and Jews and the Sisters of Sion.
In 2009 twelve students from four different schools throughout Ireland participated in the event and approximately 100 other school children attended with their teachers.
ADDITIONAL GOOD PRACTICES
A well-illustrated booklet with key messages is created each year and some 6,000 copies are circulated.
The Crocus Project is intended for pupils aged eleven or twelve years and upwards. The Holocaust Educational Trust of Ireland provides schools with yellow crocus bulbs to plant in autumn in memory of the one and a half million Jewish children and thousands of other children who died in the Holocaust. It has proved to be a tangible way to promote awareness and stimulate discussion about discrimination. In Ireland, the crocus blooms at the end of January around the time of International Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January. The yellow flower recalls the Star of David, which Jews were forced to wear. The Trust makes available guidelines and information to assist teachers in this activity, complementing existing material on racism and interculturalism. Over 320 schools on the island of Ireland participate in the Crocus Project as well as schools in Poland, Austria, the UK, the US, Malta and other European countries.
There are five Jewish Holocaust survivors in Ireland, two of whom speak regularly in schools. When a survivor speaks in a school, the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform co-operates with the Holocaust Educational Trust of Ireland to distribute the Memorial Day booklets to participating schools. Usually survivors speak to about 200 students per week (during 15-20 weeks) and each pupil who attends the lecture takes home a booklet.
