Service held for Holocaust Memorial Day in Portsmouth

Young and old from various walks of life filled the D-Day Museum in a service led by celebrant Paul Miles-Knight and councillor David Fuller, the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, lit a candle to mark the start of a minute’s reflection and led guests in laying a stone, at the base of the Holocaust memorial tree, in memory of those who have died, outside the museum.

The service was attended by an array of school children, religious leaders and politicians, all paying their respects to the Jews, disabled, homosexuals and others deemed antisocial who were killed by the Nazis during the Second World War.

An estimated six million Jews were killed by the Nazis, with many suffering as the subjects of gruesome medical experiments.

It also remembered those who died in the genocides in Rwanda, Bosnia and Cambodia and Darfur.

Cllr Fuller said it was important that the people who lost their lives are never forgotten.

He said: ‘The service was very moving. I went to one of the concentration camps around 10 years ago and it was something that I will never forget for the rest of my life.

‘Today was about remembering the people who have lost their lives and everyone coming together.

‘The lighting of a candle by the tree was so simple but very touching.’

Simon Magorian, who attended the ceremony on behalf of Stand Up To Racism, said: ‘This is a fantastic ceremony put on by the council and I commend them for it.

‘It is very important because I think we have seen a rise in anti-semitism across Europe.

‘It is not just about remembering. Remembrance has to have a meaning and it is really important that something like this never happens again.’