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Announcement made on Holocaust memorial Day and
the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the
Auschwitz-Birkenau camps.
A £1m donation to help preserve the Auschwitz-Birkenau
concentration camp and ensure the lessons of Auschwitz live
on for generations to come will be confirmed today.
The funding will come from the Foreign Office and the
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government,
Foreign Secretary and Communities Secretary
confirmed.
The announcement comes ahead of a speech by the Foreign
Secretary at a Holocaust Memorial Event on Wednesday, in
which he will emphasise the importance of Holocaust
remembrance and education as a means of ensuring such
atrocities never happen again.
The Communities Secretary attended the World Holocaust
Forum in Jerusalem on Thursday at which leaders from over
50 countries assembled to mark the anniversary.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation endowment fund supports
the consolidation, restoration and long-term maintenance of
the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps.
Foreign Secretary, The Rt Hon said:
I remember as a young boy the regular heart-rending
laments by my grandmother for the family lost to
Auschwitz and the other death camps.
The Government is supporting the Auschwitz-Birkenau
Foundation, because we must never forget history’s
darkest moment, and we must educate future generations so
it can never be repeated.
Communities Secretary, The Rt Hon
said:
I was honoured to attend the World Holocaust Forum in
Jerusalem last week. It was heartening to see leaders of
all faiths and nations come together to remember the
Holocaust and renew our promise to the victims and
survivors.
This £1m funding for the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation is
part of delivering on that promise. Today on Holocaust
Memorial Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation
of the camps, the UK stands shoulder to shoulder with our
Jewish countrymen and women.
As the father of children whose great-grandparents
endured and survived the concentration camps of the
Holocaust, I know how important it is that future
generations are aware of the stories of survivors.
This donation will help to support the preservation of
the site so that we can never forget the horror of the
Holocaust. We cannot, and will not, let such evil happen
again.