600 candles lit to remember victims of the Holocaust and other genocides

Faith leaders have gathered to light candles and remember all the victims of genocide ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day.

Six hundred candles were lit during the event at York Minster’s Chapter House, forming the Star of David to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, as well as the millions killed in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

The Minster event began with a Choral Evening service attended by representatives from York’s Jewish and other faith communities.

The Reverend Canon Maggie McLean, York Minster’s Canon Missioner, said: “The international theme for the 2022 commemoration is ‘One Day’ which encourages people to come together to remember and learn about the Holocaust, Nazi persecution and the genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.”

She added: “This is in the hope that in the future, there may be ‘One Day’ with no genocide. We learn more about the past, we empathise with others today, and we take action for a better future.”

The event included a procession with readings, music, poetry, prayers and periods of silence for quiet reflection.

The commemoration is part of a week-long programme of events taking place across the city of York to mark international Holocaust Memorial Day, which takes place on January 27 each year.

The date marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, the largest Nazi death camp, in 1945.