Remembering the Holocaust and other crimes against humanity

On Wednesday 11th February, three of our young people from Somerset House, supported by a member of staff, attended the Holocaust Memorial Day in Huddersfield town centre. The event is part of an annual commemoration in honour of Holocaust Memorial Day, featuring a parade of Weeping Sisters, and aims to promote a kinder, more peaceful and understanding society.

The seven Weeping Sisters are giant puppet-like figures, each one, representing a community affected by the Holocaust and other genocides, including Bosnian, Kurdish, Roma and Burundi communities, and Syrian women. Each of the Weeping Sisters were accompanied by the traditional music and singing from the cultures they represent.

The parade through the streets of Huddersfield helped to remind us of the brutalities committed during the Second World War and to acknowledge and recognise the genocides that have taken place across the world since.

A challenging experience for the young people who attended, they said that they “felt pleased but also sad” to attend this memorial, which relates to some of their own experiences and helps them to understand the difficulties and injustices other people have also gone through.