200 Attend IHRD Event in Rural Community
Dame Lesley Max
It was heartening to see a full Community Centre in Wellsford, New Zealand, as the local community and wider district gathered to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Special guest speakers were Holocaust survivor Bob Narev ONZM (Survivor of Theresienstadt) and Dame Lesley Max. They shared their reflections on the Holocaust and antisemitism and their personal stories.
Robert Narev ONZM, Chair of Holocaust and Antisemitism Foundation, Aotearoa New Zealand
The evening came to close with a viewing of the story of Le Chambon, a small village in the South of France. The villagers, led by a Protestant Pastor, chose to follow their conscience and shelter Jews, who were being hunted down by Nazis and their collaborators. It was a fitting call to action in a period in which antisemitism has reached levels reminiscent of the 1930s.
The event was organised by Holocaust and Antisemitism Foundation, Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Auschwitz. Now. exhibition is being staged in Wellsford till at least mid-February.
Speeches from the event will be posted shortly.
Event photography courtesy of Smoke
