What is Holocaust Memorial Day?
Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) takes place each year on 27 January to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust.
HMD also remembers the millions of other people killed under Nazi persecution of other groups, as well as in genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
27 January marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.
Image credit: Mira Sveshtarska, 'One day all that is left is an old photograph'
2022 theme: One Day
The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2022 is One Day, set by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT), and aims to explore how a single day can change your life as a victim or survivor of genocide and persecution, and how we can keep telling the stories of genocide victims and survivors.
Learn more about this year's HMD theme →
This year, The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust invited young people across the UK to submit images showing what the 'One Day' theme meant to them. Two of the winner's images are featured on this page.
Image credits:
Eloise Bishop, 'One day when things don't run like clockwork'
Julia Rapoport, 'One day of remembrance'
Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors
Opening today is Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors, a photography exhibition at RPS Gallery that brings together over 50 contemporary portraits of Holocaust survivors and their families. The exhibition features over 50 new works from 13 contemporary photographers, including members and Fellows of the RPS, alongside photography by RPS Patron, Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge. The photographs shine a light on the full lives of survivors, as well as our collective responsibility to ensure their stories live on.
Generations was previously exhibited at the Imperial War Museum in London from 6 August 2021 to 7 January 2022.
Find out more and book tickets →
Image credit: Jane Hilton
Other events happening today
Bristol will be commemorating HMD at an online event on 27 Jan, 6pm.
Highlights include video clips by Nicola Keller, a second generation Holocaust survivor who grew up in Bristol; nine-year old Elinor Rose Beard, a Bristol schoolgirl and activist in the making; a speech by the Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees; and a video on the Nazi persecution of Black people – something that is often overlooked.
Learn more: https://bristolhmd.org/
Supporting the exhibition at RPS Gallery, Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors will be on display as an outdoor exhibition at UNESCO Headquarters building in Paris from 20 Jan – 4 Feb 2022.
Find out more: https://rps.org/UNESCO
Image credits: Fabrice Gentile
More resources to learn about HMD
Learning From Genocide is a podcast series brought to you by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. Across 7 episodes, hear testimonies from survivors directly affected by the Holocaust, Nazi persecution, and the genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur.
Hear why we must continue to educate, and ensure that future generations never have to live through the horror of genocide.