This year’s remembrance on January 27th will mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau

Dan Tomlinson MP signing of the Holocaust Educational Trust Book of Commitment — Dan Tomlinson MP signing the Book of Commitment (Credit – Office of Dan Tomlinson MP)

The MP for Chipping Barnet has signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment in the lead up to Holocaust Memorial Day later this month.

Dan Tomlinson signed the book to pledge his commitment to marking the day on January 27th when people come together to remember the Holocaust on the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau.

This remembrance is particularly significant this year as 2025 is the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the camp. As survivors become older and frailer, this is likely to be the last significant anniversary at which Holocaust survivors will be present.

The theme for this year’s commemoration is ‘For a Better Future’. In the lead up to the day, events will be arranged by schools, faith groups and community organisations locally in Barnet and across the country, remembering all the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides.

After signing the Book of Commitment, Dan Tomlinson said: “Holocaust Memorial Day this year marks 80 years since the liberation of the infamous former Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, in 1945.”

He said the day: “presents an important opportunity for people from Chipping Barnet to reflect on the darkest times of European history”.

And added: “I pledge to remember the six million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered in the Holocaust and speak out against all forms of antisemitism, which in recent months has risen exponentially and which needs to be tackled head on.”

Karen Pollock CBE, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, a charity that exists to educate young people about the Holocaust, said: “This year, on Holocaust Memorial Day, we come together to mark 80 years since the liberation of the extermination and concentration camps of Europe. We remember the six million Jewish men, women, and children who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators and we honour those who survived and rebuilt their lives after enduring unimaginable horrors.

“The images and accounts that emerged at liberation revealed the full scale of the Nazis’ attempt to annihilate the Jewish people and this gave rise to the enduring call ‘Never Again.’ This phrase embodies the hope that the Holocaust would serve as a stark warning to future generations of the consequences of unchecked hatred and antisemitism.”

She added: “As we mark this significant anniversary, the lessons of the Holocaust remain as urgent as ever. With survivors becoming fewer and frailer, and with antisemitism continuing to surge across the world – we must all commit to remembering the six million Jewish victims and must take action to ensure anti-Jewish racism is never again allowed to thrive.”

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