Members of the Senedd and others heard first hand of the horrors of the Holocaust at a Holocaust Memorial event this week, co-sponsored by Leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd and Clwyd West MS Darren Millar.
At the Senedd event, which took place on Wednesday, Holocaust survivor Paul Sved BEM told his powerful and moving story.
The memorial was held ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day (January 27th).
Darren co-hosted the event with the Holocaust Educational Trust (UK) and also signed the Trust’s Book of Remembrance.
Speaking after the event, he said:
“I think it's really important that the Senedd and the nation of Wales takes the time to remember and reflect upon the horrors of the Holocaust and all genocides since, and Holocaust Memorial Day helps us to do just that.
“It serves as a poignant reminder and an educational tool to commemorate the 6 million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, and millions more people murdered through the Nazi persecution of other groups and in the more recent genocides recognised by the UK Government. This year will be the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia.
“The day's universal appeal aims to impart lessons from the past to counteract discrimination, racism, and hatred in all its forms.
“I was very pleased to co-host this event and welcome Holocaust survivor Paul Sved BEM, whose testimony was moving and powerful.
“Paul was forced out of his home in Hungary with his mother when he was just six years old, narrowly surviving the Nazi genocide as the ‘Red Armies’ of the Soviet Union halted the advance of the Nazis which later turned out to be a turning point in the WWII.
“He has dedicated much of his later years to sharing his story with people from different backgrounds and I thank him taking the time to attend our event.
“I also thank the Holocaust Educational Trust for all that they do to ensure that the millions of people murdered in the Holocaust, as well as in other genocides from Bosnia and Darfur to Cambodia and Rwanda are remembered. It is our duty to learn from mistakes of the past and to ensure they are never repeated.”
Each year, Holocaust Memorial Day focuses on a theme to guide reflection and action. The theme for 2025 is the "For a Better Freedom".
