Bishop John Sherrington attends Holocaust Memorial Day event

Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 group photo: Council of Christians and Jews

Source: Diocese of Westminster

Bishop John Sherrington, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, and James Holland, Coordinator of Westminster Interfaith, were among the guests invited to a Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration in Lambeth Palace, on Monday organised by the Council of Christians and Jews. The day marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

After an introduction from the Lord Archbishop of York, those gathered listened to the survivor testimony of Martin Stern MBE, who was just two years old when the Nazis invaded the Netherlands. Having been successfully hidden for a few years, by a Christian family, Martin eventually found himself in Theresienstadt, a concentration camp north of Prague.

Here, he and his sister, aged just one, was cared for by a Catholic prisoner, who was transported to the camp for being married to a Jewish man. In 1945, the camp was liberated by the Soviet army and Martin is counted among a small group of people who survived the Holocaust. He has dedicated his life to sharing his story and, for all those gathered, it was an honour to listen to his testimony.

There was also the testimony of a second-generation Roma survivor, whose story was a reminder that the Nazis sought to exterminate not just Jewish people, but Sinti and Roma people too, amongst many others. Daniela Abraham, founder of the Sinti Roma Holocaust Memorial Trust, spoke about the trauma her family members endured during Nazi occupation.

Throughout the commemoration, scripture was shared in both Hebrew and English, recognising the role sacred scripture played, and continues to play, in the lives of Christians and Jews. Alongside Rabbi Josh Levy, Co-Lead of Progressive Judaism, Bishop John Sherrington read Psalm 23, The Lord is My Shepherd.

James Holland, Coordinator of Westminster Interfaith, said: "It was a great honour to be present at this commemoration, and yet, listening to the stories of survivors is harrowing. It is a hideous reminder of the evil humankind is capable of. For all participating in Holocaust Memorial Day, it reinforces what we all know - that the future is far from certain. Each of us must recommit ourselves to building a better future together and working for a peaceful world for all."

LINKS

Westminster Interfaith: https://rcdow.org.uk/interfaith/
Council of Christians and Jews. https://ccj.org.uk/