What is Holocaust Memorial Day 2023? Date of day of remembrance in UK, this year’s theme - is there a badge

Every year at the end of January comes Holocaust Memorial Day, a day to remember, honour and share the stories of those persecuted through genocide.

Around the UK, everyone is encouraged to get involved with the varieties of events taking place to mark the day, from attending the online Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony to lighting a candle in a stance against hate.

This is everything you need to know.

What is Holocaust Memorial Day?

Holocaust Memorial Day is a day which encourages the remembrance of those who lost their lives due to genocide.

The Holocause Memorial Day Trust (HMDT), which is a charity established and funded by the UK Government to promote and support Holocaust Memorial Day, explains that the day is to “remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of other people killed under Nazi persecution of other groups and in genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur”.

The day is a day for everyone to get involved and to come together to learn more about those who have endured genocide, and honour the survivors, those who lost their lives and those whose lives were changed beyond recognition.

The HMDT says: “Holocaust Memorial Day is a day for everyone. The Holocaust was a tragically defining episode of the 20th Century and its unprecedented character will always hold universal meaning.

“People from all parts of the UK and of all ethnicities, religions and interests come together to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.”

When is it - and what’s the significance of the date?

Holocaust Memorial Day occurs annually on 27 January.

The date is significant because 27 January marks the anniversary of the liberation of the largest Nazi death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau.

What’s the theme this year?

This year, the theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2023 is “Ordinary People”.

The HMDT website states: “Genocide is facilitated by ordinary people. Ordinary people turn a blind eye, believe propaganda, join murderous regimes. And those who are persecuted, oppressed and murdered in genocide aren’t persecuted because of crimes they’ve committed – they are persecuted simply because they are ordinary people who belong to a particular group (eg, Roma, Jewish community, Tutsi).

“Ordinary people were involved in all aspects of the Holocaust, Nazi persecution of other groups, and in the genocides that took place in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. Ordinary people were perpetrators, bystanders, rescuers, witnesses – and ordinary people were victims.”

It adds: “There are also extraordinary people in every genocide, remarkable and unusual people, who went to extreme lengths to help, to rescue, to save, and in every genocide there were extraordinary people, who went to extreme depths to cause harm, to persecute, to murder.

“Our theme this year, though, highlights the ordinary people who let genocide happen, the ordinary people who actively perpetrated genocide, and the ordinary people who were persecuted.

“Our theme will also prompt us to consider how ordinary people, such as ourselves, can perhaps play a bigger part than we might imagine in challenging prejudice today.”

Previous themes over the years for Holocaust Memorial Day include:

• 2022: One Day
• 2021: Be the light in the darkness
• 2020: Stand together
• 2019: Torn from home
• 2018: The power of words
• 2017: How can life go on?

What events are on - and how can I take part?

There are loads of events going on throughout the UK commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day.

A UK ceremony for Holocaust Memorial Day will be streamed online on Thursday 26 January. It will run from 7pm to 7:45pm.

You can register to watch the ceremony on the HMDT website.

At 4pm on 27 January, everyone across the country is encouraged to light and candle and safely place them on their windows to remember those who were murdered for who they were, and to stand against prejudice and hatred today.

You can see what events are taking place near you using the interactive map on the HMDT website. 

Examples of activities include:

• A Holocaust Memorial Day vigil, being held in Sheffield 
• A talk by Marta Seiler, whose parents survived the Holocaust, held by Barnsley Libraries
• A Holocause Memorial Choral Evensong at Bradford Cathedral
• Holocause Memorial Day open day at Manchester Jewish Museum

If you want to support the HMDT, you can donate to the charity through its website. You can opt for a monthly donation or a one off.

Can I buy a Holocaust Memorial Day badge?

Many might have noticed MPs and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson wearing a purple Holocaust Memorial Day badge during the PMQs in the past.

If you want a badge, which is designed as a purple and pink flame, you can order them from the Holocaust Memorial Day website. 

They are free to order, and you can order up to three at a time. You can make an optional donation after submitting your order.

However with Holocaust Memorial Day so soon, it’s highly unlikely you’ll recieve your order before the day.

The HMDT recommended that orders be placed before 3pm on Monday 24 January, to allow time for orders to arrive.