Holocaust Memorial Day marked in Liverpool

Liverpool marked international Holocaust Memorial Day this year with a Service of Remembrance.

This Holocaust Memorial Day marks the 81st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, as well as serving as an act of remembrance of all victims of the Holocaust and more recent genocides in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur.

The service was led by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Cllr Barbara Murray and included prayers led by Rabbi Natan Fagleman, Allerton Hebrew Congregation, and an Act of Commitment by representatives of other faiths.

The theme of this year's Holocaust Memorial Day is 'Bridging Generations' encouraging everyone to learn from history and take those lessons into the future.

There was a performance by King David High and Junior School Musicians and a poem read by members of the Liverpool Literacy Cycle and poet John Gorman.

Students from Alsop High School and Archbishop Blanch Church of England High School reflected on the theme, and President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Phil Rosenberg, was the service's guest speaker.

Liverpool Town Hall, the Cunard Building and St George's Hall are also being lit purple.

Lord Mayor of Liverpool Cllr Barbara Murray said: "Today, it is no less harrowing for us even with the passage of time and in truth it never will be. We can't help but be shocked by the incredulity of what took place, showing the darker side of man's humanity to man.

"This year's Holocaust Memorial Day Trust theme is 'Bridging Generations' - a reminder that the responsibility of remembrance doesn't end with the survivors and that it lives on through their children, their grandchildren and through all of us.

"This theme encourages us all to engage actively with the past - to listen, to learn and to carry those lessons forward. By doing so, we build a bridge between memory and action, between history and hope for the future.

"We hope that Holocaust Memorial Day 2026 can be an opportunity for people to come together, learn both from and about the past, and take actions to make a better future for all."

Jeremy Wolfson, chair of the Holocaust Memorial Day Planning Group and a member of Liverpool's Jewish community, said: "Holocaust Memorial Day gives us an opportunity to reflect on the Holocaust and subsequent genocides and raise awareness of not only what happened, but to try and ensure that the attitudes which led to them are not repeated."

Guest speaker, Phil Rosenberg, President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and Trustee of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, said: "Holocaust Memorial Day is a solemn reminder of where hatred can lead when it goes unchallenged.

"As we remember the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and all victims of genocide, we must also confront the realities of rising antisemitism and hatred today.

"'Never Again' must be more than words, it must be a commitment we uphold every day."